Here is a report on the theft of medical identity data. Worth a read.

Excerpts…

“Since last year’s study, medical identity theft incidents increased 21.7 percent. “

“Sixty-five percent of medical identity theft victims in our study had to pay an average of $13,500 to resolve the crime.”

“…victims learn about the theft of their credentials more than three months following the crime and 30 percent do not know when they became a victim. Of those respondents (54 percent) who found an error in their Explanation of Benefits (EOB), about half did not know whom to report the claim to”

“Forty-five percent of respondents say medical identity theft affected their reputation mainly because of embarrassment due to disclosure of sensitive personal health conditions (89 percent of respondents). Nineteen percent of respondents believe the theft caused them to miss out on career opportunities. Three percent say it resulted in the loss of employment.”

“…79 percent of respondents say it is important for healthcare providers to ensure the privacy of their health records. Forty-eight percent say they would consider changing healthcare providers if their medical records were lost or stolen.”

“Twenty-five percent of medical identity theft victims in this study knowingly permitted a family member or friend to use their personal identification to obtain medical services and products and 24 percent say a member of the family took their credentials without their consent.”