Healthcare

Looking for health insurance? Make sure that's what you're buying, or you could find yourself on the hook for big medical bills with no way to pay them. That's because what sounds like affordable health insurance may be a medical discount plan instead. Medical Discount Plans are a way for some to save money but it is NOT insurance.

The plans generally consist of, but are not limited to, programs offering discounts on physician, prescription drugs, vision, dental, chiropractic, or massage therapy services. If you are offered a discount on your health care expenses by a company, you should make sure that the company has Nebraska medical providers in your area who are willing to honor those discounts.

Here are some tips to remember when considering discount drug & medical plans:

• You could give be giving up your current health coverage, mistakenly by believing you found a better insurance deal.
• Some plans offer discounts of up to 70% - but how often will you save that much? Savings with discount plans typically are a lot less. When you consider a discount plan's monthly premiums and enrollment fees, there may be no "discount" at all. What's more, if you have major health problems or an emergency, you will have to cover most, or all, of the bills if you don't have health insurance.
• You'll have to pay medical bills yourself if you're scammed into believing you have real insurance.
• Identity thieves also use pitches for medical discount plans and insurance to get your personal information. Don't give out your financial information to someone who calls you out of the blue, or whose reputation you haven't checked out.

If you’re looking for health insurance, make sure that’s what you’re buying. Be on the lookout for medical discount plans. They’re not the same as health insurance, even though they sometimes pretend to be. Many of these plans are scams that don’t deliver on the services promised. Others are just a way for identity thieves to get your personal information. The Nebraska Department of Insurance can tell you whether a plan is actually an insurance product. You may contact them by visiting them online at www.doi.nebraska.gov or calling 402-471-2201.

Medical identity theft happens when someone steals your personal information and uses it to commit health care fraud. Medical ID thieves may use your identity to get treatment or even surgery by making fake claims.

Signs of Medical Identity Theft

• A medical bill arrives for medical services you didn’t receive.
• A call from a debt collector about a medical debt you don’t know about or that you do not have.
• Medical collection notices on your credit report that you don’t recognize.
• A notice from your health plan saying you reached your benefit limit.
• A denial of insurance because your medical records show a condition you don’t have.

You can catch medical identity theft early on. First, read every “Explanation of Benefits” statement you get from your health insurer. Follow up on any item you don’t recognize. At least once a year, ask the health insurers you’ve been involved with for a list of the benefits they paid in your name. Finally, make it a regular practice to check your credit reports. You’re entitled to a free credit report from each of the three nationwide companies every 12 months. You can order your free credit report at AnnualCreditReport.com.

Correcting Mistakes in Your Medical Records

If you know a thief used your medical information, get copies of your records. Federal law gives you the right to know what’s in your medical files. Check them for errors. Contact each doctor, clinic, hospital, pharmacy, laboratory, health plan, and location where a thief may have used your information. A provider might refuse to give you copies of your medical or billing records because it thinks that would violate the identity thief’s privacy rights. The fact is, you have the right to know what’s in your file. If a provider denies your request for your records, you have a right to appeal.

Ask each of your health plans and medical providers for a copy of the "accounting of disclosures" for your medical records. The accounting is a record of who got copies of your records from the provider. The law allows you to order one free copy of the accounting from each of your medical providers every 12 months.

Write to your health plan and medical providers and explain which information is not accurate. Send copies of the documents that support your position. Send your letter by certified mail, and ask for a "return receipt," so you have a record of what the plan or provider received. Keep copies of the letters and documents you send.