The Growing Problem of Medical Identity Theft
There are many different types of identity theft occurring throughout the United States on a daily basis, but perhaps the most overlooked form is that of medical identity theft. Generally, medical identity theft occurs when someone fraudulently uses another person’s name and insurance information in order to pay for medical services. A couple weeks later, you’re left dealing with their medical bills. In the hectic hospital environment, it’s easy to see how someone could trick a busy medical staff. Hospitals are required to treat all of their patients anyways, so they’re more than likely going to go off whatever information a patients gives them. Because it’s so difficult to track and document the cases, medical identity theft is one of the least studied and protected against forms of identity theft. With little knowledge about the crime, it’s even difficult to determine how exactly medical identity theft occurs. Some victims have claimed to have never lost any of their personal documents like a driver’s license, insurance card, or social security number, which raises the question of how exactly are people getting the information to commit identity theft? It’s difficult to tell at this point, but experts agree that it is important to protect yourself by checking your medical records for mistakes periodically and immediately reporting any medical bills that seem incorrect or suspicious. While you certainly don’t want to have to pay for another person’s medical bills, there are other important reasons why medical identity theft can pose a problem to you.
The Dangers of Medical Identity Theft
Besides the obvious financial concerns involved with having to pay for someone else’s medical bills, more serious problems could arise on your medical record. If someone is able to get medical treatment under your name, it will go under your medical record. Imagine someone getting their appendix removed under your name - if you ever checked into the hospital with stomach pain doctors wouldn’t even consider the appendix as the cause since they believe it has been removed. A medical identity theft could literally put your life in danger since doctors will be acting on incorrect information in your medical record. It gets worse, as your family could also be in danger. There’s been at least one case of Child Protection Services removing children from a home because someone falsely used the mother’s name for drug treatment. The mistake was eventually cleared up, but you can imagine how traumatic of an experience it must have been for everyone involved. Clearly, medical identity theft can have far reach effects for you and your family, so keep your information safe and check your records often.
