Health insurance is designed to provide access to necessary treatments, preventive services, and emergency care for individuals and families in need. Unfortunately, it has also become a target for scammers looking for a payday.

In February of this year, Change Healthcare fell victim to a cyber-attack affecting thousands of healthcare providers, insurers, and policyholders nationwide. Reports indicate that about 50% of all US medical claims could potentially be compromised! To put this into perspective, if you’re in the waiting room with nine other people, there’s a good chance that five of you could fall victim to medical identity theft within the year. The aftermath of this fraud is staggering, impacting countless individuals and their access to healthcare. Once your medical information is exposed online, it can be misused by identity thieves to submit fraudulent claims, make unauthorized prescription purchases, and more, all while being billed to your account.

The most troubling part is how some people are discovering they’ve been affected. Some are facing tax or mortgage fraud, while others are going to the doctor to find out if they need a procedure, but instead of getting a surgery date, they’re handed a rejection letter from their insurance provider. The letter states that they’ve exhausted their benefits on multiple other procedures this year—procedures they never had. Their medical ID was stolen and used by someone else for their own procedures.

It’s not just individuals you have to worry about. Manipulative organizations can use your medical information for fake billing schemes. What happens is that they submit false claims for medical services you never requested or received, then they collect their payday and leave you with the bill. In July, 193 defendants, including 76 doctors, nurse practitioners, and other licensed medical professionals, were charged for their alleged involvement in several different healthcare fraud schemes, resulting in $2.75 billion in false billings to federal programs. Medical fraud is a real issue!

How Do You Know If You’re A Victim?

Here are 10 signs that your medical ID may have been stolen and is currently being used by cybercriminals:

1. Unexpected Medical Bills: Receiving bills for medical services you didn’t receive is a major red flag.

2. Collection Notices: Being contacted by debt collectors for unpaid medical bills that aren’t yours.

3. Errors In Medical Records: Finding inaccuracies in your medical records, such as treatments you never had, incorrect diagnoses, or unfamiliar medical histories.

4. Insurance Issues: Your health insurance claims are denied because your benefits have been maxed out or you’re told you’ve reached your coverage limit, despite not using the services.

5. Notification From Your Insurance Provider: Receiving alerts from your health insurance provider about claims or services you don’t recognize.

6. Unknown Accounts: Discovering new health insurance accounts or medical records under your name that you didn’t create.

7. Discrepancies In Your Explanation Of Benefits (EOB): Your EOB statements from your insurer list medical services you didn’t receive.

8. Being Denied Insurance: Having difficulty obtaining life or health insurance because medical conditions that you don’t have are listed in your records.

9. Calls From Medical Providers: Receiving calls from doctors or medical facilities about appointments or follow-ups for treatments you never had.

10. Unfamiliar Prescriptions: Notices about prescriptions being filled in your name that you did not authorize or receive.

How Can You Prevent Becoming A Victim Of Medical ID Fraud?

Don’t become the next medical ID theft victim. Here are a few steps you can take to protect yourself:

● Check For Healthcare Breaches: Use a searchable database, like this one, to find out if your healthcare information has been compromised.

● Secure Your Records: Store paper copies of medical records in a safe or lockbox to prevent unauthorized access. If your healthcare organization’s system is compromised and records are lost, altered, or unable to be accessed, you will be glad you did this.

● Shred Documents: Shred any documents with personal information before disposing of them.

● Monitor Your Medical Records: Regularly request and review your medical records from your healthcare providers and look for unfamiliar treatments, diagnoses, or other discrepancies.

● Review Insurance Bills: Carefully review explanation of benefits (EOB) statements from your insurance provider for any services you did not receive and question unfamiliar or unclear charges. Contact your insurer immediately if you see any charges or services that you don’t recognize. Afterward, report any billing errors to the credit bureaus at IdentityTheft.gov.

● Dispose Of Prescription Labels: Remove labels from empty prescription bottles before discarding them! These labels can contain information that, believe it or not, can be used to steal your identity.

● Monitor Your Credit: At AnnualCreditReport.com, you are able to get three free reports a year to keep an eye on any suspicious activity.

Healthcare will always be around, and unfortunately, it will also always remain a target for hackers. Attacks on hospitals, doctors’ offices, and other medical facilities will continue. It’s crucial to take preventative measures to protect yourself. We can assist you in identifying your risks with our FREE IT Security Risk Assessment. Call us at 847-906-5005 or click here to book your FREE IT Security Risk Assessment.