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When you go to the doctor or hospital, you expect to get the help you need with any health issues you are having. You do not worry about the cost of the treatment because you have health insurance. You trust the doctors to look at your medical history and to be able to diagnose the problem and prescribe a solution. The trust that people have in the medical system and their health insurance companies is behind a lot of problems occurring today. Medical identity theft is a growing problem. It is different from the identity theft that occurs when people steal your credit card. This type of identity theft is harder to detect and can impact the treatments that you receive when you go to the doctor or hospital. The impact of this type of identity theft is not just financial, it could even jeopardize your life. What is it There are two ways that medical identity theft can affect you. The first is similar to any other type of identity theft. When you go to the doctor or the hospital you fill out many forms that ask for personal information. You may provide your social security number or other information that identity thieves are looking for. If they can get their hands on this information, they can use it to open up credit accounts in your name. This is easy to deal with. There is plenty of information about how to stop identity theft that happens this way. It is all about keeping your private information private. Do not give out information other than what is needed when filling out forms at a doctor’s office. Make sure that the documents are kept secure and shred any papers you get from the doctor’s with this information. The second type of medical identity theft is the result of the high cost of healthcare. There may be people who will try get your insurance information or your credit information and use that information to get the medical treatment they need. Your insurance or your credit will be used to pay the bills they incur when they are treated. Their medical history will become your history. The next time you go to the hospital, your doctor may see information that is not yours and treat you based on that history. It could cause serious,even life threatening, mistakes. What to do You will not be able to stop all of the medical fraud and abuse that is going on in the country, but you can stop the things that affect you. The key is to pay attention to the information you get from your doctor, hospital and insurance company. When you receive your statement of benefits from the insurance company, check it for accuracy. Get a copy of your annual benefits report from your insurance company. Look for anything that is not about you. It is also a good idea to keep your own records of any treatment that you have at a doctor or hospital. This information can be used if you need any type of treatment. It can also help answer any questions about your medical history if you are not able to. Do not be afraid to question doctors and make them explain what they are doing. It could help avoid any tragic mistakes. Protect yourself In the end when it comes down to how to stop identity theft, the person who is responsible for it is you. You are the one who has control over who gets your personal information. You need to make sure you protect this information at all times even when you are sick. Identity theft is a crime of opportunity and medical identity theft is no different. It is a crime that you will not be aware of until it is too late unless you are looking for problems before then. Getting good health care is an expectation that everyone has. If you have insurance, you expect your care to be the best possible. If you are a victim of medical identity theft, the ability of the doctors to give you that care may be compromised. Make sure that you have done what you can to prevent any tragedies from happening. Amy Johnson is an active blogger who is fond of writing articles on credit monitoring and educating people to monitor their monthly credit report to prevent you to be a victim of credit fraud. Follow her on Twitter to know more on how to protect yourself from becoming victim of medical identity theft.
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