Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Why did I get the Notice?

    The purpose of the Plan Notice is to inform you that you may be eligible to share in the proceeds of the Health Insurance Innovations Fair Fund. To be potentially eligible to share in the Health Insurance Innovations Fair Fund, you must file a Claim Form in accordance with the steps set forth in the Plan Notice and in the Plan of Distribution (the “Plan”) approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC” or “Commission”).

    A copy of the Notice can be found here.

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  2. What is this proceeding about?

    On July 20, 2022, the Commission issued the Order instituting and simultaneously settling cease-and-desist proceedings against the Respondents. In the Order, the Commission found that from March 2017 through March 2020, HII, a technology platform, billing administrator and distributor of short-term and limited health insurance products, and its CEO Southwell made a series of false and misleading statements to investors, which concealed extensive consumer complaints about products being sold through misrepresentations. HII and Southwell falsely told investors that HII held its insurance distributors to its high compliance standards, which prohibited insurance agents from making misrepresentations to consumers. HII and Southwell falsely stated that HII had 99.99% consumer satisfaction and misleadingly stated that state departments of insurance received very few consumer complaints regarding HII. HII and Southwell understated the amount of business that had been generated by its most productive distributor, Simple Health Plans LLC (“Simple Health”), which amassed the most consumer complaints. HII and Southwell misrepresented that HII had terminated its relationship with a different distributor in 2016 for compliance failures, when in fact, HII re-hired this distributor despite continuing compliance problems. These statements were made in reports filed with the Commission, press releases, earnings calls and other communications with investors. Southwell also disseminated misleading information about HII’s compliance to research analysts and a subscription news service, which included the information in research reports and a news article that were distributed to investors. In total, the Commission ordered the Respondents to pay $320,000 in disgorgement, $41,511 in prejudgment interest, and $11,750,000 in civil money penalties, for a collective total of $12,111,511, to the Commission. The Commission also created the Fair Fund, pursuant to Section 308(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, so the penalties paid, along with the disgorgement and interest paid, can be distributed to harmed investors.

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  3. Who is potentially eligible to participate in the Fair Fund?

    To qualify for a payment from the Health Insurance Innovations Fair Fund, you must satisfy certain eligibility criteria that are described in detail in the Plan. The Plan can be found under the Important Documents page or on the Commission’s public website at www.sec.gov. You can also request a copy of the Plan by calling the Fund Administrator at 1-877-676-3395 or by emailing info@HealthInsuranceInnovationsFairFund.com. The eligibility criteria include the following:

    • You must have purchased and/or acquired HII common stock during the period of time from March 2, 2017, through March 12, 2019, inclusive (“Relevant Period”);
    • Your approved transactions must calculate to a Recognized Loss as calculated under the Plan and your Distribution Payment must equal or exceed $10.00.

    PLEASE NOTE: RECEIPT OF THE NOTICE DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU ARE AN ELIGIBLE CLAIMANT AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE PLAN.

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  4. Who is excluded from participation in the Fair Fund?
    1. The Respondents;
    2. Present or former officers or directors of Respondents or any assigns, creditors, heirs, distributees, spouses, parents, dependent children or controlled entities of any of the foregoing Persons or entities;
    3. Any employee or former employee of the Respondents or any of its affiliates who has been terminated for cause or has otherwise resigned, in connection with the conduct described in the Order;
    4. Any Person who, as of the Claims Bar Date, has been the subject of criminal charges related to the conduct described in the Order or any related Commission action;
    5. Any firm, trust, corporation, officer, or other entity in which Respondents has or had a controlling interest;
    6. The Fund Administrator, its employees, and those Persons assisting the Fund Administrator in its role as the Fund Administrator; or
    7. Any purchaser or assignee of another Person’s right to obtain a recovery from the Fair Fund for value; provided, however, that this provision shall not be construed to exclude those Persons who obtained such a right by gift, inheritance or devise.

    The Claim Form will require claimants to certify that they are not an Excluded Party. All Excluded Parties will be deemed ineligible to participate in the Fair Fund.

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  5. Who is the Fund Administrator?

    On September 18, 2023, the Commission appointed Epiq Class Action & Claims Solutions, Inc. (“Epiq”) as the Fund Administrator.

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  6. What is the Relevant Period?

    “Relevant Period” means the period of time from March 2, 2017, through March 12, 2019, inclusive. This is the period over which HII’s stock price was inflated by the company’s false and misleading statements, as could be measured by Commission staff.

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  7. What is the total amount of the Fair Fund?

    In total, the Commission ordered the Respondents to pay $320,000 in disgorgement, $41,511 in prejudgment interest, and $11,750,000 in civil money penalties, for a collective total of $12,111,511, to the Commission. The Commission also created the Fair Fund, pursuant to Section 308(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, so the penalties paid, along with the disgorgement and interest paid, can be distributed to harmed investors.

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  8. What do I need to do to participate in the Fair Fund?

    The deadline to file a claim was March 28, 2024.

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  9. What do I need to submit with my Claim Form?

    The deadline to file a claim was March 28, 2024.

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  10. What is considered acceptable/sufficient documentation to support my transactions on my Claim Form?

    Acceptable documentation must include the name of the owners of the account for which you are filing a claim, the name of the broker through whom the security was traded, trade date, number of shares purchased, acquired and/or sold, and price paid (excluding brokers’ commissions, taxes, and fees).

    Acceptable documentation includes contract notes, brokers’ confirmation slips, account activity pages from brokers’ computer print outs (including the front page), or account activity pages from brokers’ monthly statements (including the front page), if those statements contain the required information. Letters from your broker are acceptable only if they are on the brokers’ letterhead and contain the required information listed above. Your own records or certificates DO NOT constitute acceptable documentation. We cannot pre-approve any documentation as acceptable without seeing it first.

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  11. Who should I contact to get the required supporting documentation to send in with my claim?

    Depending on how you acquired your shares of HII, you can generally obtain the necessary supporting documentation to submit with a Claim Form from:

    1. Your broker;
    2. Your tax advisor; and/or
    3. The person/party from whom you purchased, or through whom you sold, the security.

    Acceptable supporting documentation must be included with your completed Claim Form, or your claim may be rejected.

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  12. What is the deadline for submitting my Claim Form?

    The deadline to file a claim was March 28, 2024.

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  13. How much money will I receive if my claim is approved?

    Until all claims have been fully processed, it is not possible to determine the amount of any individual payment because the amount will depend on a variety of factors, including the number of valid claims processed and the details of your specific investment(s). In order for a claim to be paid, the Distribution Payment must equal or exceed $10.00.

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  14. How will my information be protected?

    As a long-established firm, Epiq’s electronic systems, software applications, and employees and operational protocols are all designed to protect and secure the case information provided to us. Further, Epiq is obligated to fulfill the security requirements mandated by the various court jurisdictions and governmental entities that oversee the various types of cases it administers.

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  15. How do I get information about my claim?

    You may contact the Fund Administrator by calling toll-free 1-877-676-3395, sending an email to info@HealthInsuranceInnovationsFairFund.com or by writing to P.O. Box 4349, Portland, OR 97208-4349 for more information.

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  16. What is the relevant CUSIP and ticker?

    The CUSIP for HIIQ during the Relevant Period was 42225K106. The ticker symbol from March 2, 2017, through March 12, 2019, inclusive, was HIIQ.

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