I
believe that everyone today is aware of identity theft. It is unfortunate, but many people assume
that since they do not use credit or debit cards, they are safe from ID
theft. There are myriad ways that
thieves can gain access to your checking or savings account records and your
social security number.
One of
the more recent areas where thieves are targeting identities is in medical
records. Let’s say you order a copy of
your credit file. When it arrives, you
are surprised to discover that there are collection notices against you for
several emergency hospital visits, with thousands of dollars unpaid. Once you begin investigating this entry in
your credit report, you find the report states that you were involved in a serious
car accident and had your leg amputated after you were air lifted to a hospital
for treatment.
Since
you have both your legs, and you have not been involved in a traffic accident
or been admitted to a hospital, you assume it was a simple error on your
report. This is a typical and all-too-common example of medical identity
theft. You may make the discovery from
that credit report, or a hospital may start sending you bills for treatment you
never had. You may be contacted by the
hospital or police who tell you that they believe you are a potential victim of
a fraud they are investigation.
Medical
records are exposed to theft via the internet in ever increasing numbers;
therefore, medical fraud is quite simple for a thief to commit. The fraud may go undetected for months or
even years. More medical records are
also being digitalized and shared with health care providers, health insurance
companies and consumers, making them more vulnerable to theft. How about your medical chart? Are the charts
in the receptionist’s office within easy reach of anyone?
It’s
not just about the health insurance and health service options, but it’s also
about ensuring patient medical records are accurate and shared only with
authorized people, and that health services and charges are applied to the
rightful account owner.
Prescribing
the wrong medication to a patient based on fraudulent medical records can cause
death in which case the impact of medical identity theft is irreversible. How can doctors and hospitals reconcile a
patient’s past and recorded information with the identity thief’s medical
information acquired with a recent blood analysis even after a case of medical
identity theft is detected? As you can
see, the impact of the health identity theft is huge to the victim’s life,
privacy and financial losses.
In
general, consumers have more protection against credit identity theft than
medical identity fraud. If a consumer discovers credit identity theft promptly
after it is committed, they can notify their banks, credit card companies, the
FCC and the police. The victims seldom are responsible to pay more than $50 no
matter how much was actually stolen.
With medical
identity theft, the identity theft victim whose social security number appears
on the record is responsible for paying the fraud charges. Under the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act (HIPAA) Medical privacy laws in place to protect consumers,
there is only limited protection against medical fraud. Unfortunately, HIPAA also equally protects
the identity thief when the personal information of both the thief and the
victim are combined. When the thief
receives medical care using your name and medical records, your records are
then updated with the thief’s medical information. So, not only can this
commingling be detrimental to your life during your future doctor visits, you
also may be prohibited from separating your records from those of the thief, because
the thief is also protected by HIPAA.
Medical
identity theft is more difficult to track, because only a name and social
security is necessary to receive medical care in most cases. It is, therefore,
critical for you to monitor your credit report.
If you detect possible medical identity fraud, immediately contact your
health insurance company, the health service provider and the credit reporting
agencies. In addition, file a police report to document your case, and inform
all parties that you are a victim of identity theft.
With
all this information, I hope all readers can now recognize the importance of
having an Identity Theft Protection Plan in place to monitor your records for
you. They will detect fraudulent
activity before you do.
Do you still believe having no credit or
debit cards protects you from ID Theft? I personally recommend that you join the LifeLock®
Identity Theft Protection Plan through Xpress Healthcare® for two reasons:
1) LifeLock® has years
of proven excellent service, and it provides the best monitoring services; and
2) Joining LifeLock® through Xpress Healthcare® costs you less ($20
per month, per FAMILY), and along with LifeLock® services, at no extra charge, you will also
receive a Roadside Assistance program, discounted pet care services and
products and discounted legal services (9 of the most common services are
free!)
3) To join LifeLock®
through Xpress Healthcare, visit http://ibourl.net/EverydaySavings
Whether you join LifeLock® through Xpress Healthcare® or join another ID
Theft Protection company, don’t wait!
Get the protection you need today!
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