Health
insurance is designed to provide access to necessary treatments, preventive
services and emergency care to individuals and families in need, and,
apparently, now it's also used to hand out paydays to scammers.
In
February of this year, Change Healthcare fell victim to a cyber-attack that
impacted thousands of health care providers, insurers and policyholders
nationwide. Reports from this incident suggest that around 50% of all US
medical claims could be at risk! To put that 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, affecting countless individuals and their access to health
care. Once your medical information is exposed online, these identity thieves
can use it to file false claims, buy expensive prescriptions and more, and it
will all be conveniently billed to your
account.
The
worst part is how some people are finding out they were affected. Some are
facing tax or mortgage fraud, but 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, claiming the company won't
cover it because they've exhausted their benefits from multiple other
procedures this year. But the thing is, THEY didn't have any other procedures
this year. Someone stole their medical ID and used it for their own procedures.
And
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, received or
knew anything about, then they collect their payday, and stick you with
the bill. In July, 193 defendants, including 76 doctors, nurse practitioners
and other licensed medical professionals, were charged for their alleged
participation in several different health care fraud schemes that resulted in
$2.75 billion in false billings to federal programs. Medical fraud happens!
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:
- Unexpected Medical Bills: Receiving bills for medical services you didn't receive is a major
red flag.
- Collection
Notices: Being contacted by debt
collectors for unpaid medical bills that aren't yours.
- Errors In
Medical Records: Finding inaccuracies in
your medical records, such as treatments you never had, incorrect diagnoses
or unfamiliar medical histories.
- 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.
- Notification
From Your Insurance Provider: Receiving alerts from
your health insurance provider about claims or services you don't
recognize.
- Unknown
Accounts: Discovering new health
insurance accounts or medical records under your name that you didn't
create.
- Discrepancies
In Your Explanation Of Benefits (EOB): Your EOB statements from your insurer list medical services you
didn't receive.
- Being
Denied Insurance: Having difficulty
obtaining life or health insurance because medical conditions that you
don't have are listed in your records.
- Calls From
Medical Providers: Receiving calls from
doctors or medical facilities about appointments or follow-ups for
treatments you never had.
- 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 Health Care Breaches: Use a searchable database, like this one, to find out if your health care
information has been compromised.
● Secure Your Records: Store paper copies of medical
records in a safe or lockbox to prevent unauthorized access. If your health care
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 health care
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.
Health
care will always be around and will also always be a target for hackers.
Attacks on hospitals, doctors' offices and other medical facilities will
continue. It's important that you are taking proactive measures to protect
yourself. We can help you find out how you're at risk with our FREE Dark Web
Scan. Using this technology, we can quickly find out if your information has
been put up for sale on the dark web or if you've been a victim of a data
breach. To book your Dark Web Scan, call us at 914-923-0161 or click here.
