Medical ID Theft

What is medical ID theft, and how is it different from any other identity theft?


Healthcare faud is growing at an alarming rate. Estimates put the loss at $65 billion a year to Medicare alone. Government agencies are working hard to catch these crooks—and you can help by protecting yourself and loved ones against medical identity theft.


How does Medical ID Theft happen?
Medical identity theft happens when a scammer steals your personal information (such as your name, Social Security number and medical insurance policy and/or Medicare number) and uses it to commit healthcare fraud by seeking healthcare using YOUR information.

Once crooks have your personal information, a thief could walk into a hospital and use your name and identity to obtain medical treatment or drugs or  a dishonest employee of an honest provider could file fraudulent charges in your name. Criminals have even formed phony "clinics" using post office boxes to cheat insurance companies by filing fraudulent medical claims.

Medical ID theft could be dangerous if the criminal's information (blood type, medical history, medications, allergies, etc.)were to be entered in your medical records. And if a thief uses up your insurance benefit cap, you could be denied coverage for treatment when you need it, or even lose your coverage.

And beyond the personal level, medical ID theft hurts us all by helping to drive up medical costs across the nation.

CATCH MEDICAL ID THEFT EARLY

Catch medical identity theft early on. First, read every “Explanation of Benefits” statement you get from your health insurer. Follow up on any item you don’t recognize. At least once a year, ask the health insurers you’ve been involved with for a list of the benefits they paid in your name.

If you think you may be a victim of medical identity theft, ask your health care provider or hospital for your medical records. You have a right to get copies of your current medical files from each health care provider, though you may have to pay for them. You also have a right to have inaccurate or incomplete information removed. Learn more about your rights under federal law at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) website.

For more information on protecting personal information, visit the FTC website.
www.ftc.gov/idtheft

1-877-382-4357