According to an article on Emaxhealth.com by Hareyan, medical identity theft is related to health insurance. Medical identity theft is when someone uses your name and information to obtain health insurance or they use your current policy to obtain treatment or prescriptions. If there is false information placed in your medical records you could end up losing coverage or being denied when you apply for individual health insurance.
It is very important to safeguard your medical identity to prevent this type of theft. With health care costs increasing, medical identity theft is becoming more common, so protect yourself by following these tips:
- Do not give your personal information to someone you did not call
- Avoid using your social security number for identification unless it is required
- Keep tabs on your health records and look for inconsistencies
- Safeguard your health insurance card and know its location at all times
By following these simple precautions you decrease your risk of becoming a victim of medical identity theft. Dealing with the repercussions of identity theft can last for years as databases are often slow to update.
