When the flier promising “affordable health care” was faxed to the Westerly nursing home where she worked, Joan Albright thought of her ex-husband, who had no insurance and hadn’t seen a doctor in years. So she gave him the phone number to call.

Kevin Albright, 44, liked what the salesperson had to say about $30 co-pays for doctor visits and prescription coverage. He agreed to a $299 initiation fee and monthly payments of $199 and allowed the money to be deducted automatically from his bank account. Soon after, he received a membership card and a one-page explanation of his benefits, which he admits he didn’t read too carefully.

It wasn’t until he scheduled an MRI for his back that he learned that his medical plan would cover only $250 of the $1,800 cost. He canceled the MRI and the health care plan.

“The way they made it sound on the phone, it was pretty good insurance,” says Kevin Albright. “I’m the type of person who is going to look for the cheapest thing I can find, but I got screwed on this deal. This isn’t worth two cents if you ask me.”

Albright had encountered what has been described as the “Wild West” of health care plans, many of which are advertised on fliers from anonymous sources and purport to cover a range of medical expenses, including dental, vision, hearing, primary care and hospitalization.

Experts are warning consumers to be wary of plans that sound too good to be true. Often, they say, the plans are not bona fide health insurance.

“Medical discount cards are spreading like kudzu because so many people are being laid off and going without health insurance or simply can’t afford premiums anymore. They are looking for affordable ways to cut their medical costs and discount cards are springing up in response to an urgent market need,” says James Quiggle, spokesman for the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud, a group that includes consumer advocates and insurance companies. “Unfortunately, much of that response is fraudulent and abusive.

“Regulators are often unsure who is supposed to oversee them. It’s a bit of a Wild West frontier out there and consumers are often largely left on their own to figure out whether they have a good deal or a bad deal.”

CONSUMERS CALL the attorney general’s office a few times a month with questions about these types of plans, according to spokesman Michael Healey. But he said none has made a complaint that led to prosecution. Similar calls have been received by the Department of Business Regulation and the Health Insurance Commissioner’s office.

One of the biggest problems, says Commissioner Christopher Koller, is that consumers who see the fliers think they are buying health insurance, which caps what a patient must pay for costly surgeries and treatments. Because it’s not, his office can’t regulate them.

“They are not limiting your liability, which is really what health insurance is all about … Often [consumers] don’t find out how poor the coverage is until they need it,” says Koller, who encourages consumers to call his office with questions.

Last fall, Koller issued a warning after advertisements for the “Universal Health Card” began appearing in newspapers around the country, including the Journal.

The ad boasted that because the plan is not insurance it’s available to everyone regardless of previous medical conditions. It also purported to offer a network of 561,000 health-care providers. But John Cogan, executive counsel for the insurance commissioner, said he contacted some of the Rhode Island physicians and hospitals listed on the Web site and none said they participated in the plan.

Calls to numbers listed on a handful of fliers collected by the Journal found one telephone number disconnected and another with a recorded message that said “all representatives are busy” and to leave a message.

On the third call to the latter number, a reporter identified himself and asked for information for a news report. After being put on hold, the line went dead. When the reporter called back, a man answered the phone, “Bob’s Abortion Clinic.” The screen on the reporter’s phone showed it was the same number. The reporter asked to speak to a supervisor. A man who called himself “Stuey” eventually got on the phone. He insisted it was an abortion clinic in St. Louis and then the line went dead again.

Disreputable enterprises taint the entire medical discount card industry, which is perfectly legitimate and has been around for about 20 years, said Allen Erenbaum, legal counsel for the Consumer Health Alliance. He said the trade association was formed in 2001 in direct response to dubious outfits and salespeople entering the market, with aggressive solicitations and misrepresentations. In addition, 30 states have since adopted laws regulating the industry. Rhode Island is not among them.

“It’s important consumers know what the program is, how it works, what it is and what it isn’t,” Erenbaum said. “It’s not intended to replace insurance. For someone who doesn’t have insurance … these programs can reduce health care costs.”

In April, the Massachusetts attorney general sued two New Jersey businesses for marketing an allegedly sham health insurance product that was nothing more than a limited plan for discounts.

A South Dennis, Mass., business owner who received a promotional fax called the number for National Alliance and said he was assured it was for comprehensive health insurance, according to Suffolk Superior Court documents. He enrolled his family, allowing automatic payment of a $125 processing fee, a $384 monthly fee for his family and additional amounts for a couple who worked for him.

When he received his card, the accompanying literature indicated the plan was not major medical insurance. He tried to reach the company, but the customer service number only allowed him to leave messages, none of which were returned. He finally stopped the automatic payments.

The state’s insurance division issued a cease-and-desist order to National Alliance and the attorney general is seeking restitution for customers and a court order to prevent the company from doing business in Massachusetts.

KEVIN ALBRIGHT, who works for a private security company, became suspicious when his Association for Lifestyle Reform card arrived at his home in West Virginia. It said nothing about a $30 co-pay and it stated it was not a prescription card.

When Albright had a doctor’s appointment, he showed the card and gave the receptionist the $30 co-pay. His payment was accepted, at least initially. And when he had a CAT scan for a spot on his mouth, he used the card again.

The other day, he received a $150 hospital bill for the CAT scan. When he called the health plan, a woman assured him that she had actually spoken to someone at the hospital about it and that the bill had been paid that very day. He wonders whether he’ll be hearing from the doctor’s billing office soon.

Albright says when he called to cancel the plan, he was told he would have to do it by e-mail. He has yet to receive any confirmation.

“I’m in for $750,” he says after paying for the card for the three months.

Albright is now applying for insurance from a nationally recognized health insurer.Experts say to beware of health plans that:

•Make inflated promises about savings and benefits;

•Urge prompt action before “reduced rates” expire;

•Use the words “coverage” and “guaranteed benefits,” but not “insurance;”

•Ask for credit card or checking account numbers over the telephone or Internet;

•Rely on sales agents who are evasive or ill-informed.When shopping for health coverage:

•Ask if it’s insurance or a discount plan;

•Verify that your doctors and pharmacies actually participate in the plan;

•Check with the state health insurance commissioner to see if the company is licensed;

•Look for a generous liability cap of $1 million or more in medical expenses;

•Request information in writing.

rsalit@projo.com