The public has been armed with the threats of identity theft. While identity investing can steer individuals’ money, their good credit and years of aggravation and stress, an alternative form of identity theft, medical identity theft, can threaten lives.
Medical identity thieves steals and misuse other people’s personal information including their name and insurance card accounts numbers without the person consent and usually without their knowledge Medical Condition.
The Scary Truth about Medical Identity Theft
Your medical and insurance records follow false information is that you can use medical records, you can be at risk when you are treated in the future. Doctors may make decisions about your treatment and medications based on your medical history and this can put your health at risk. Not to mention that the insurance companies will have been listed false “pre-existing conditions.”
As more and more medical communities rely on electronic records, the information is more likely to follow you on a larger scale and some believe this trend makes it easier for more medical records to be compromised.
What can a thief do with your medical identity?
Medical identity thieves may use people’s information to obtain medical care, prescription items or make fraudulent medical claims.
A medical identity thief without insurance who wants to use your information, get what information they want and leave knowing you and your insurance company will get the bills.
Some medical identity thieves are motivated purely by money. Thieves can collect large amounts of money, millions of dollars, making these false medical claims.
Don’t Ignore a Medical Billing or Insurance Statements
The statement for services didn’t get just a mistake. It could be the first sign that someone has stolen your medical identity.
Joe Ryan, a Colorado resident, got a hospital bill for over $ 40,000 for he never received surgeries and treatments. This wasn’t a billing error. An ex-con had used Ryan’s medical identity to check into the hospital and obtain extensive medical care. Two years later, Ryan was still trying to damage his medical records.
You may not learn about a medical identity theft from a bill. Brandon Reagan, who was stationed in California, learned that his medical identity had been used and used in South Carolina when his mother called and told him he was the lead suspect in a car theft. Reagan had lost his wallet in South Carolina and a thief used his military i.d. and license to test drive cars and then steals them. The thief also used Ryan’s medical identity to get treatment for injuries and kidney stones. The medical bills were close to $ 20,000.
Even though Reagan was left with a nightmare, even though the identity was finally arrested. His South Carolina medical records were full of false information and his tax refund was still in his name.
Sketchy Law and Statistics on Medical Identity Theft:
Laws dealing with medical identity theft is still not thorough or consistent from state to state. Many Federal laws that were intended to protect confidentiality actually make it more difficult for you to access and correct your own medical records.
Wide scale investigation into medical identity theft is just beginning but in 2005 there were over 8 million victims of identity theft and three percent, 249,000 of those involved medical identity theft.
