2008 Great Miami River Days
.JPG)
Cincinnati Bearcats football
You've been spotted: River Days
Blogs & Message Boards More...
Ludwig at Large
Learnin' to love Chad again
Can Cincinnati Bengals fans learn to love Chad Johnson again?
- Ohio politics: Michelle Obama to address Baptist group in Cincinnati
- Chick Ludwig At Large: Bengals-Ravens: By The Numbers
- Springfield Schools News and Issues: Charter schools calls emergency meeting
- Butler County News and Issues: Zettler attacks on property appraisal
- The Real McCoy: Double disaster dosage for Piniella
Clark Howard's Tips
Hospitals running credit checks before treatmentApril 8, 2008
Should you list your Social Security number on a medical form? Clark does not. Medical record numbers have replaced Social Security number on insurance cards in an effort to stop ID theft. Why would you open yourself up to it again?
A Wall Street Journal reporter recently found that some hospitals now require Social Security numbers at registration. The facilities then quietly run your credit using an outside source that gives a proprietary rating to gauge your likelihood to pay for service.
|
CLARK'S TIP TOPICS
Find more consumer advice in Clark Howard's book, "Get Clark Smart" |
Some hospitals are even turning away urgent but non-emergency patients deemed to be credit risks. Unfortunately, many hospitals doing this are non-profit facilities that have a duty and mission to provide care to those who can't pay. So they get non-profit status, but they ignore their core values.
Your credit can help or hurt you in so many ways. Think about this: Clark recently froze his credit. Does that mean he might be temporarily denied service until his records can be thawed?
