Miami

Health-care scam shuttered: A federal judge this week issued a restraining order shutting down a network of companies accused of selling sham health insurance to “tens of thousands” of people, collecting more than $100 million in premiums. The Federal Trade Commission called the South Florida–based operation “a classic bait-and-switch scheme.” Simple Health Plans and five related companies allegedly advertised comprehensive plans with endorsements from Presidents Obama and Trump—one website was “TrumpCareQuotes.com”—when in fact the plans covered only $50 toward a maximum three physician visits per year. In one Simple Health ad, a cigar-smoking man tosses a wad of cash and says, “You will have money thrown at you” during open enrollment. The FTC said many consumers learned they’d been scammed only after they received unexpected medical bills.