Protect your medical identity from theft

Checking in at a doctor's office or hospital increasingly requires at least two documents - an insurance card and a photo ID.

Don't take it too personally.

The providers are simply trying to protect themselves - and you - from joining the growing ranks of medical identify theft victims.

By some estimates, at least a quarter to a half million Americans have been victims of medical ID theft.

While most other types of identity theft steal your money, medical ID thievery could also cost your life.

Should your medical data become mingled with that of one or more strangers who have fraudulently gotten treatment as you, the potential for confusion, if not disaster, is obvious - if you're diabetic and the fraudster isn't, or you have a rare blood type and the alternate doesn't match.

The likelihood of such bad information turning up is increasing with the use of electronic medical records meant to increase efficiency and accessibility.

"Medical identity theft can disrupt your life, damage your credit rating and threaten your health if inaccurate information ends up in your medical records,'' Daniel Levinson, inspector general for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said during a news conference held to highlight the problem.

Levinson and his staff attempt to protect from fraud more than $600 billion spent on federal health insurance programs each year. They're mainly after scams that involve the use of stolen Medicare and Medicaid numbers to bill for shoddy or nonexistent supplies and services.

But the scams and consequences are many and varied, from using your insurance to pay for narcotics that are then resold to simply using a false identity to register for care at a hospital or clinic.

Victims have discovered not only that false charges can ruin their credit rating, but also in some instances find that their health policy coverage limits for the year, or even a lifetime, have been maxed out. Having ghost patients raiding your policy can also result in higher premiums.

"Think of your health insurance card as a credit card with a spending limit of a million dollars," says Byron Hollis, head of the national antifraud department for the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, referring to the typical lifetime cap many plans put on health coverage.

It can be an uphill battle proving that care was stolen, with fewer protections than, say, for a stolen credit card, which typically leaves consumers on the hook for no more than $50 and can be easily canceled and flagged for fraud.

Correcting insurance and medical records is cumbersome. Although federal law requires that providers give patients a copy of their medical records, they can charge for the service. You can ask for corrections, but only the provider that created the record has to make changes - another provider or insurer that received false information from them has no obligation to correct. But you have the right to insist that your complaint or request for a change be included in any record.

The feds also have some new rules aimed at giving consumers a heads-up if information security is breached by any entity covered under federal privacy rules. And HHS released new tips and brochures to help Medicare beneficiaries protect against fraud. The advice for Medicare holds true for all health consumers:

• Make sure only legitimate caregivers get your insurance number, Social Security number or other personal information. Be aware of who's around when you check out;

• Read explanations of benefits carefully and if you see anything you don't think you got, call the doctor or hospital and the insurer;

• Get a summary of benefits paid from your insurer at least once a year. Many plans have this information online;

• Ask for your medical credit reports and ask for a fraud alert and credit reporting freeze if you find unpaid bills in your name;

• If someone has stolen in your name, file a police report and get copies to send to insurers, medical providers records, particularly if you suspect fraud. Get your doctor or a nurse to go over them with you and challenge errors. If you get printouts, make sure they cover everything that's in an electronic record. If the provider won't make changes, contact Medicare, your insurer or state regulators.