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Desperation, Debt, and IDs
A spokesperson at Littleton Adventist Hospital says it worked closely with Ryan to ensure that he was not accountable for charges accrued by the man impersonating him. The hospital absorbed the loss and let Ryan off the hook. But Ryan says the whole affair made it impossible to grow his company: "Bankers would say my business plan sounds like a good deal. But then my credit became an issue."A "Friend" in Need
Experts say a lot of medical identity theft occurs when desperate people needing health care steal insurance information from acquaintances or relatives. Marie Whalen, assistant vice president of ambulatory services at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington, cites a case where a man with AIDS stole his cousin's ID and racked up almost $80,000 in treatment over 15 years before confessing on his deathbed. The hospital had to reimburse the insurance company.
Recognizing the problem, UConn Health Center and other hospitals around the country now require photo IDs as well as insurance cards for non-emergency treatment. "You can't get on an airplane or cash a check without ID," says Whalen. "Why should health care be any different?"
UConn Health Center staff suspect that about a dozen impostors try to game the system every week: "We've had quite a few people say, 'I left my ID in the car,' and then they don't come back." Pennsylvania Attorney General Corbett predicts that insurance cards will eventually come with photos and signatures.
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