Why pay for Health Insurance when you can steal it?

As the economy dropped severely in 2009, the instances of Identity Theft continued to rise. With desperate times and individuals struggling, Medical Identity Theft and Health Insurance Fraud reports by emergency rooms have been higher than normal over the past several months.  According to Javelin Strategy and Research, in 2009 Medical Record Theft had the longest length of time, 493 days,  between the theft and detection by the insured. This also led to the highest fraud amount of $18,480 and the largest mean consumer cost of $2987. That means the average consumer that suffers from Medical Identity Theft pays almost $3000 of his own money to resolve the theft! This shows how the financial repercussions of Medical Identity Fraud are the largest among Identity Fraud types.

There are more than just financial risks to Health Insurance Fraud. If your name is linked with another person’s medical records, their blood type, medical history and medications are recorded on your chart.  Inaccurate information can lead to ER and hospital mix ups with health complications that could prove deadly.

A new article by NPR discusses the many issues and risks with Health Insurance Fraud and Medical Identity Theft. They advise everyone to get a hard copy of their medical records in case they become a victim and have to prove what their medical history used to look like. No matter the fee to do so, I encourage everyone to keep a copy of this in their locked fireproof safe. Hopefully you’ll  never have to prove your health history, but at least you will be prepared!

Read National Public Radio’s full article that discuss this rising issue.

John Sileo became one of America’s leading Social Networking Speakers and sought-after Identity Theft Experts after he lost his business and more than $300,000 to identity theft and data breach. His clients include the Department of Defense, Pfizer and the FDIC. To learn more about having him speak at your next meeting or conference, contact him by email or on 800.258.8076.

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