How to Find Out If Someone Has Medical Insurance

Because of patient-confidentially laws, determining whether someone has medical insurance might not be the easiest endeavor to complete. You might not be a physician or a hospital with agents to track down the unsuspecting patient, but you still can find out if someone has medical insurance.

Call the human resources office where the person is employed and ask for specifics regarding his or her medical insurance coverage. If the human resources officer refuses to divulge information regarding your inquiry, ask general questions about the types of insurance benefits the employer grants to its employees. By knowing this, you have an idea if the company gave the patient medical insurance coverage.

Call any previous insurance companies that the person previously had insurance with. The representative might provide information on whether the person currently has insurance with the company or may be able to look up information on other companies that have had the person as an insured client.

Contact the Social Security Administration.Ask if the person is covered by Medicare. Provide the patient’s Social Security Number, if possible, to gain access to the information.

Contact the Medical Information Bureau online (mib.com) or by phone. Request disclosure of the patient’s medical insurance coverage.

Tips

  • If you cannot verify information from the Social Security Administration, ask any physician that previously attended to the patient. The physician might be able to disclose if the patient had Medicare.

Warnings

  • Not all departments will cooperate if you cannot provide sufficient evidence of your relation to the patient or provide a written request. The best person to conduct this search is an immediate member of the patient’s family. Prepare proof of identity and relation to the patient.