ReclaimMyID

Healthcare is a major topic in America right now. Many people are struggling to find affordable healthcare. While most of us do what we can to make it work, there are those who try and scam the system to avoid healthcare costs. If you have health insurance, there is a chance that a criminal could use your information for their gain. In this article we will teach you the most common medical identity theft warning signs so that you can catch a possible misuse of your information as quickly as you can.

Most Common Warning Signs

You’ve received a call from collections regarding a medical bill you’re unaware of.
You are sent a bill for a medical related service or product you didn’t receive.
A notification on your credit report for past due medical accounts that are unfamiliar to you.
Notification from your health insurance provider stating that you have reached or exceeded your benefit limit.
You are denied insurance due to a false condition shown on your medical records.
Any suspicious charges on a medical bill. This can be a duplicate charge or a doctor/hospital/service/procedure you don’t recognize.

Steps To Take If You Are A Victim Of Medical Identity Theft

Contact your insurance company and ask for a copy of your medical records. You should thoroughly check your medical records for any discrepancies and notify your insurance provider. You should contact your provider by certified mail and request a return receipt so that you have documentation of what information your provider received. If you are a victim, you should be provided a new ID number by your insurance company.
Obtain medical records from each healthcare provider. The FTC has a great checklist for victims of identity theft. You can read the checklist HERE.
Check your credit report for any discrepancies.
File a police report. You should send the report to your insurance company, all credit bureaus and all medical providers.
Consider placing a credit freeze and/or fraud alert on your files. There are differences between a credit freeze and fraud alert. Learn more about them HERE.

There aren’t many things that would be more terrifying than being denied coverage for a medical service because someone had been fraudulently using your medical insurance. Keep an eye out for these medical identity theft warning signs so that this never happens to you.