AnnualMedicalReport.com

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, under the authority of President Barack Obama, unveiled an innovative new online tool to help consumers take control of their health care by connecting them to new information and resources that will help them access quality, affordable health care coverage.  As stipulated by the Affordable Care Act, HealthCare.gov is the first website to provide consumers with both public and private health coverage options tailored specifically for their needs in a single, easy-to-use tool.

“HealthCare.gov helps consumers take control of their health care and make the choices that are right for them, by putting the power of information at their fingertips,” said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.  “For too long, the insurance market has been confusing and hard to navigate.  HealthCare.gov makes it easy for consumers and small businesses to compare health insurance plans in both the public and the private sector and find other important health care information.”

HealthCare.gov is the first central database of health coverage options, combining information about public programs, from Medicare to the new Pre-Existing Conditions Insurance Plan, with information from more than 1,000 private insurance plans. Consumers can receive information about options specific to their life situation and local community. In addition, the website will be a one-stop-shop for information about the implementation of the Affordable Care Act as well as other health care resources. The website will connect consumers to quality rankings for local health care providers as well as preventive services. (more…)

The Federal laws FCRA and FACTA, which govern the credit bureaus Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion, also regulate a whole universe of other corporations known as “nationwide specialty consumer reporting agencies” and include such companies as: ChoicePoint, Acxiom, CBC Innovis, PayChex, the Insurance Services Office (ISO), Tenant Data Services, LexisNexis, Retail Equation, Central Credit, TeleTrack, the Medical Information Bureau Inc. (MIB), Ingenix Inc., and Milliman Inc.  In fact, just as financial companies rely on “credit reports” to establish credit for customers, insurance, real estate, banking, and retail companies also utilize credit report files to assess consumers and charge higher prices.

For example, health and life insurance corporations rely on some of these nationwide consumer specialty reporting agencies to provide powerful technologies for evaluating and pricing individual insurance applicants: personal “medical report” files.  The Washington Post says that these medical reports, which are “like credit reports for your health records,” have been created for more than 200 million Americans.

Here is a comprehensive list of websites, telephone numbers, and mailing addresses for the top 25 most frequently requested annual consumer reports available to you from the nationwide consumer reporting agencies under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).  Through these reports, these consumer reporting agencies extensively monitor your personal medical, insurance, employment, rental, and banking history.  Federal law entitles all consumers to check and verify each report, once every year because they significantly impact your options and costs of credit.

As The Consumerist advises, “Be sure to check them out and correct any errors, before a crisis hits.” (more…)

In the past decade, personal health information on hundreds of thousands of people has been compromised because of security lapses at hospitals, insurance companies and government agencies. These breaches occurred despite federal privacy rules issued under a 1996 law.

Congress is trying to strengthen those privacy protections and make sure they apply to computer records. At the same time, lobbyists for insurers, drug benefit managers and others in the health industry are mobilizing a campaign to persuade Congress that overly stringent privacy protections would frustrate the potential benefits of digital records.

Thus, President Barack Obama’s plan to link up doctors and hospitals with new information technology is imperiled by a bitter dispute over how to protect the privacy of electronic medical records.  Lawmakers, caught in a crossfire of lobbying by the health care industry and consumer groups, have been unable to agree on privacy safeguards that would allow patients to control the use of their medical records.

Rahm Emanuel, the White House Chief of Staff to President Obama, advocated such safeguards when he was a House member from Illinois. “As we move forward on health information technology,” Mr. Emanuel said, “it is absolutely essential that an individual’s most personal and vulnerable information is protected.”  All consumers that pay for insurance or pharmaceuticals should request an annual copy of their medical report files to verify their personal information has not been erroneoulsy bought or sold.
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The Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009 (also known as the Credit CARD Act) established sweeping changes intended to help limit deceptive marketing of practices, excessive credit card fees, and hefty interest rate increases.  Starting in 2010, certain corporations will be required to make more disclosures and they face new limits on certain credit card practices.

Every person is entitled to a free credit report every 12 months from each of the four nationwide financial consumer reporting agencies Equifax, Experian, Innovis, and TransUnion.  By Feb. 22, 2010, the Federal Trade Commission must formalize the rules governing this access to prevent deceptive marketing of the credit reports.

The FTC has one proposal that would prohibit the credit bureaus from offering any product or service until after consumers get their free reports.  The law currently permits the credit reporting agencies to advertise their proprietary products and services through the centralized source, in this case AnnualCreditReport.com.

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The Medical Information Bureau (MIB) maintains a consumer “medical report” file for every consumer of life and health insurance.  In addition to an individual’s credit history, data collected by the Medical Information Bureau (MIB) may include medical conditions, driving records, criminal activity, drug use, participation in hazardous sports, and personal or family genetic history, among other facts. (Source: Federal Trade Commission).

The Medical Information Bureau (MIB), a Delaware corporation, is the largest insurance reporting agency in North America and represents approximately 750 member insurance companies.  “The Medical Information Bureau (a/k/a, MIB Group, Inc., a/k/a, MIB, Inc., a/k/a, MIB Solutions, Inc.) collects and furnishes information on consumers to all Medical Information Bureau (MIB) member corporations for use in the insurance underwriting process.  The corporate membership of the Medical Information Bureau (MIB) accounts for 99 percent of the individual life insurance policies and 80 percent of all health and disability policies issued in the United States and Canada.”

According to the Federal Trade Commission:

“All consumers are entitled to receive a copy of their medical report from the Medical Information Bureau, if requested, to verify that all information is correct.”

Source: Federal Trade Commission Press Release, “Nation’s Largest Insurance Reporting Agency Agrees To Expand Consumer Rights – Fair Credit Reporting Act requirements to apply to insurance investigations under new policy accepted by Medical Information Bureau.” Dated, June 21, 1995. [Link to FTC press release at http://www.ftc.gov/opa/1995/06/mib.shtm]

On February 6, 2008, the Federal Trade Commission filed a decision and order of their complaint against Ingenix, Inc. (In the Matter of INGENIX, INC., A CORPORATION. DOCKET NO. C-4214).

Consumers should be aware that Ingenix Inc. sells a medical data product called “MedPoint,” which collects and distributes personal medical information to paying corporations.

“Ingenix Inc., operates MedPoint, a medical data collection and sales technology. The medical profile generated by MedPoint includes, but is not limited to, prescription drugs, including dosage and number of refills filled by the insurance applicant for the previous five years. It also includes for each drug, the name and address of the dispensing pharmacy, as well as the name and address of the prescribing doctor, including specialty medical practice. The medical profile generated by MedPoint analyzes the individual’s prescription drug history, and provides, based on that analysis, potential medical conditions that may be present and predictive scores for the individual.“

All consumers can request an annual copy of their MedPoint reports from Ingenix Inc. by calling (888) 206-0335 or writing to: MedPoint Compliance, Ingenix, Inc., 2525 Lake Park Blvd, West Valley City Utah 84120.  Additional contact information can be found at www.ingenix.com/ContactUs/.

The public Federal Trade Commission decision and order against Ingenix, Inc. is reprinted below, in full.

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If you wouldn’t apply for credit without reviewing your credit report, don’t apply for health and life insurance without checking your medical report.

Health and life insurance corporations have powerful technologies for evaluating and pricing individual insurance applicants: personal “medical report” files. The Washington Post says that these medical reports, which are like credit reports for your health records, have been created for more than 200 million Americans.

Alarmingly, your medical report files may include both medical and non-medical information about you. For instance, personal data collected by the Medical Information Bureau (MIB) may include medical conditions, credit report history, driving records, criminal activity, drug use, sexual orientation, participation in hazardous sports, and personal or family genetic history. Using information from your medical report files, insurance companies can charge higher premiums or terminate coverage. (more…)

In 2008, the Federal Trade Commission filed a complaint against Ingenix, a UnitedHealthGroup, Inc. Company. (In the Matter of INGENIX, INC., A CORPORATION. DOCKET NO. C-4214).

Consumers should be aware that Ingenix Inc. sells a medical data product called “MedPoint,” which collects and distributes personal medical information to paying corporations.

“Ingenix Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, Inc., has contractual relationships to acquire data from Pharmacy Benefit Managers (“PBM”), which maintain records of individuals’ prescription drug histories. Ingenix Inc., through MedPoint, obtains an insurance applicant’s five-year prescription drug history from the PBMs and creates a prescription medical profile on the applicant for the insurance company. The medical profile generated by MedPoint includes, but is not limited to, prescription drugs, including dosage and number of refills filled by the insurance applicant for the previous five years. It also includes for each drug, the name and address of the dispensing pharmacy, as well as the name and address of the prescribing doctor, including specialty medical practice. The medical profile generated by MedPoint analyzes the individual’s prescription drug history, and provides, based on that analysis, potential medical conditions that may be present and predictive scores for the individual.“

In its complaint, the Federal Trade Commission avers that Ingenix, Inc., through its product MedPoint, is a consumer reporting agency, and therefore subject to the regulations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1681a(f), because,

“MedPoint regularly engages in the practice of assembling or evaluating consumer credit information or other information on consumers for the purpose of furnishing consumer reports to third parties for monetary fees, dues, or on a cooperative nonprofit basis. Ingenix, Inc. furnishes these consumer reports to third parties through the means or facilities of interstate commerce.”

You can request a copy of your MedPoint report from Ingenix Inc. by calling (888) 206-0335 or writing to: MedPoint Compliance, Ingenix, Inc., 2525 Lake Park Blvd, West Valley City Utah 84120. Additional contact information can be found at www.ingenix.com/ContactUs/.

The public Federal Trade Commission complaint against Ingenix, Inc. is reprinted below, in full. (more…)