Simple Health Plans
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Health Care, Advertising and Marketing, Telemarketing |
| Founded | November 25, 2015 in Hollywood, Florida, USA |
| Founders | Steven Dorfman and Matthew Spiewak |
| Owner | Steven Dorfman |
| Website | simplehealthplans |
| Footnotes / references In receivership as of October 31, 2018 by Ackerman LLP and business operations shut down on November 1, 2018.[1] | |
Simple Health Plans is a Florida limited liability company founded by Steven Dorfman and Matthew Spiewak in 2015.[2] Simple Health and Simple Health Plans are also the trade name for Health Benefits One LLC, another Florida limited liability company founded by Steven Dorfman and Matthew Spiewak in 2012.[3] The Federal Trade Commission has a preliminary injunction against the Simple Health Plans LLC and affiliated companies granted on May 14, 2019.[4][5][6]
In 2018, the FTC sued Simple Health Plans, and affiliated companies, for allegedly deceptive sales tactics[7] and "violating the FTC Act and the agency's Telemarketing Sales Rule".[8] The company was "pretending to be affiliated with reputable insurances and organizations" such as AARP and Blue Cross Blue Shield, in addition to be claiming to be experts on Affordable Care Act insurance. Ads by the company also included logos by Anthem and Cigna, without any actual affiliation with the insurance companies.[9] The company collected USD $100 million in commissions from the sale of misleading sale of limited benefit plans and medical discount memberships through a "network of deceptive websites" including trumpcarequotes.com[10] and "approximately 128 third-party lead generation websites."[11]
Health Insurance Innovations (HII), a publicly traded entity now known as Benefytt Technologies, served as the third party administrator for the vast majority of products sold by Simple Health to consumers.[12] HII is the subject of numerous shareholder and consumer class action lawsuits, as well as regulatory actions, alleging that the company defrauded investors and policyholders.[13][14][15] HII has a D− rating with the Better Business Bureau for, among other things, failing "to resolve underlying cause(s) of a pattern of complaints."[16]
Assets of the companies and Steven Dorfman have been frozen by Darrin P. Gayles and a receivership appointed to take over. Seized assets included two luxury vehicles, a Lamborghini Aventador and Rolls-Royce Wraith.[17]
The New York Times articles continued, "The commission described Mr. Dorfman as “the architect of this scam” and said he had “siphoned millions of dollars of proceeds from defrauded consumers to pay for private jet travel, gambling sprees in Las Vegas, the rent for his oceanfront condominium, luxury automobiles, over $1 million in jewelry, and even the nearly $300,000 cost of his recent wedding at the St. Regis Hotel in Miami".[17]
Affiliated Companies[edit]
Companies named as "subsidiaries, affiliates or successors"[8] of Simple Health Plans by the FTC include:
- Simple Health Plans LLC[8]
- Health Benefits One LLC[8]
- Health Center Management LLC[8]
- Innovative Customer Care LLC[8]
- Simple Insurance Leads LLC[8]
- Senior Benefits One LLC[8]
The receivership's First Interim Report[18] include the following "affiliated entities":
- Simple Insurance Leads[18]
- Health Benefits Center Corporation[18]
- Soluciones Omfri, SRL[18]
- Venture Vocational Institute, Inc.[18]
- HBC Direct, LLC[18]
- NMS Insurance Agency, LLC d/b/a Essential Insurance Agency[18]
- Shift Health Solutions, LLC[18]
References[edit]
- ^ "SimpleHealthReceivership.com". Retrieved 21 June 2019.
- ^ "Simple Health Plans LLC | Business Details | Better Business Bureau® Profile". www.bbb.org. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
- ^ "Health Benefits Center | Better Business Bureau® Profile". www.bbb.org. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
- ^ Hurtibise, Ron. "Accused health insurance scammer loses key battle in company's fight to survive". sun-sentinel.com. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
- ^ "Simple Health Plans LLC". Federal Trade Commission. 2 November 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
- ^ Hurtibise, Ron. "Read the exhibits in the FTC's investigation of Simple Health Plans LLC". sun-sentinel.com. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
- ^ "Insurer Accused Of Selling Fake Comprehensive Health Plans; 'One Of The Most Egregious I've Seen'". 18 February 2019. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "FTC Halts Purveyors of Sham Health Insurance Plans". Federal Trade Commission. 2 November 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
- ^ "Federal judge temporarily shutters Simple Health Plans in Florida". Healthcare Finance News. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
- ^ "Purveyor of sham 'TrumpCare' health plans ordered to shut down". miamiherald. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
- ^ https://simplehealthreceivership.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Receivers-First-Interim-Report-1.pdf pages 37 & 98
- ^ Hurtibise, Ron. "Accused health insurance scammer loses key battle in company's fight to survive". sun-sentinel.com. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
- ^ Abelson, Reed (2019-06-12). "Florida Company Sued Over Sales of Skimpy Health Plans". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
- ^ "Health Insurance Innovations (HIIQ) Enters Regulatory Settlement Agreement with Lead State Regulators". StreetInsider.com. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
- ^ "Keippel v. Health Insurance Innovations, Inc. et al: COMPLAINT (CLASS ACTION) against All Defendants with Jury Demand (Filing fee $ 400 receipt number 113A-15140990) filed by JULIAN KEIPPEL". www.docketbird.com. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
- ^ "Health Insurance Innovations | Better Business Bureau® Profile". www.bbb.org. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
- ^ a b Pear, Robert (5 November 2018). "Federal Officials Shut Down Sales of 'Ruinous' Health Insurance Plans". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h https://simplehealthreceivership.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Receivers-First-Interim-Report-1.pdf pages 30-33