Image by Alachua County on Flickr.

Maryland residents are being targeted by a phone scam offering affordable health insurance plans, according to the Maryland Health Connection.

The Connection, the state exchange for health insurance plans commonly referred to as “Obamacare,” warns that the calls begin with a robocall before switching to a live person purporting to be an enrollment agent.

The agent claims to be able to enroll consumers in $199 plans outside of the annual open enrollment period and with no “qualifying life event,” such as marriage, having a child or losing other coverage.

The agent will attempt to collect personal information, which the Connection warns should never be given out unless you know that who you’re talking to is a broker, is with the Connection or is other legitimate representative.

The open enrollment period for private, qualified health plans will be Nov. 1-Dec. 15 for coverage beginning Jan. 1, 2019. Consumers may sign up through MarylandHealthConnection.gov or get free, in-person help from one of the organization’s trained experts.

Consumers who are eligible for Medicaid may sign up any time, or if they’ve recently had a qualifying life event, they can sign up within 60 days of that event.