Ways to Prevent Health Insurance Identity Fraud
The number of health insurance fraud cases reported are growing every year, and a large percentage of this type of fraud is carried out by unscrupulous health care professionals such as equipment manufacturers, health clubs, retirement homes and health care centres.
Types of Health Insurance Identity Fraud
When you need treatment or healthcare equipment you will need to in most cases to provide you Medicare or private insurance details to cover any payments costs. However once you have handed over your details they could be used fraudulently for a number of unlawful activities such as:
• Equipment Fraud – Manufacturers have been known to offer products to clients claiming them to be ‘free’, and then using the patient’s details to charge for them on the health insurance. Also equipment could be charged using the victim’s details that wasn’t actually received by them, or was returned unused.
• Lab Test Scam – health care centres, health clubs, retirements homes and even stands in shopping malls have been reported as running fake or unnecessary lab test scams, telling people that these tests will be free of charge when in fact they are billed to the health insurance companies.
• Fake Treatment Claims – once you have handed over your insurance details these could be used by unscrupulous health care professionals to bill your insurance company for treatment and tests you never actually received.
You can help to prevent health insurance fraud in a number ways such as:
• Avoid signing blank insurance forms, which do not list the types and costs of any treatments, supplies or equipment.
• Be wary of anyone claiming to provide free treatments, supplies or equipment, and double check that this is free with your insurance policy before proceeding.
• Keep full records of all of your health care appointments and any treatment you received and ask for a statement of claims from your insurer once a year so that you compare these records and check that all of the claims are correct.