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Here’s a quick story that I found that is very powerful and scary at the same time.

Lind Weaver received a bill from a hospital in her area. The bill was for the amputation of her right foot. There was only one problem with that….she still had both feet! She spent some time trying to convince the administrators to void the bill. She eventually had to walk into the facility, put both of her feet on the administator’s desk, and said “Obviously, I have both of my feet.” The hospital then realized that this wasn’t just a billing error, but was a case of medical identity theft. The thief had used her Social Security number, address, and insurance id number to have the procedure done. The effects of the medical identity theft wasn’t over just yet. Weaver had to return to the hospital for a hysterectomy. There was one problem. The amputee medical records were mixed with hers now. How did she find out? The nurse looked at her records and said, ” I see you have diabetes.” (THere’s one problem with that, Lind Weaver doesn’t have diabetes, folks)
Seeing how medical data can be easily transferred between medical facilities, she is now scared of potential life-threatening situations. Situations like receiving a blood transfusion with the wrong type of blood or medicine she’s allergic to. “I now live in fear that if something ever happened to me, I could get the wrong kind of medical treatment,” she says.

If you don’t want this to happen to you here are some tips to help prevent these type of situations:

1. Check your credit report every quarter. Strange medical bills should be disputed with your insurance carrier and the credit agencies.

2. Subscribe to a credit monitoring service. Do your research for the best coverage. Many people don’t know that there are actually 5 types of identity theft.

3. Read all of your mail. If you receive any insurance claims you want to check that right away. If you wany discrepancies then contact your insurance carrier.

4. If you believe that you are a victim, them you should seek the assistance of a qualified legal professional. Call 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477), contact the Department of Health and Human Services at 1-800-368-1019 or go to their website at http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/.

5. Do not ignore collection calls. You might get a call from someone letting you know that you owe for medidcal bills. Follow up!

6. Look at your medical charts. Make sure it has your correct blood type, allergies, etc. listed. If the wrong information is listed, you may be a victim.

7. If you are denied employment or credit, find out why. You might have beed denied because of your credit. Not only can medical identity thieves get expensive treatments done, but they can use your info to open up lines of credit too.

In conclusion, medical identity theft can be life-altering and it can possibly kill you. Be aware of how to prevent it and look for signs of suspicious activity.