Your Medical History Is an Open Book.
You are probably aware that your personal credit information is in the files of at least three major credit information agencies. Whether or not you get a mortgage loan, or at what rate, is affected by these ratings.
Sometimes incorrect information in your files can hurt you. You owe it to yourself to monitor these reports at least once a year.
What far fewer people understand is that their medical information is also stored in a private data bank: the Medical Information Bureau. Their physicians supplied it. Did you know this?
This company sells information about your health over the last seven years. Buyers include life insurance companies and health insurance companies.
When you apply for a policy, you almost always are asked to sign away your privacy by allowing the insurance company to gain access to this file.
As with any collection of data, mistakes are sometimes made. A mistake here can lead to a rejection of your application. This in turn forces you to check that highly undesirable box for the rest of your life: "Have you ever been turned down for health insurance?"
You can find out what is in your medical file. It is free. It used to cost $9. Visit its Web site:
Look for "Request Your Record." Click it. You get this toll-free number:
If you have not yet subscribed to my free Tip of the Week e-letter, sent every Saturday morning, then you are throwing money away. The subscription box is here: www.garynorth.com.