We’re all “unbanked” with health.

I heard something interesting during an advertisement on a podcast (literally the first and last time I’ll ever say that). The sponsor for that podcast was AT&T Business and they were talking about hackers. Essentially, they stated that the form you fill out at the doctors office before a visit is more valuable to hackers than your credit card information.

I thought about that form for a while and tried to understand how my name, age, list of current medications, and allergies could be more valuable than my credit card number. I couldn't make the case for it so I gave up and listened to the rest of the ad. The sponsor described how individuals check their bank accounts and credit scores very regularly, but almost never check the open claims against their health insurance.

If you can honestly account for the last time you checked your health insurance claims- you are one very organized and proactive human. For the rest of us, it makes total sense why a hacker would be more interested in our medical records than our credit card data. According to Reuters, your medical information can be sold for 10 times more than your credit card information. Why, you ask? Reuters states that, “Fraudsters use this data to create fake IDs to buy medical equipment or drugs that can be resold, or they combine a patient number with a false provider number and file made-up claims…