What Is the Medical Information Bureau (MIB)?
Here’s a simple breakdown of how the MIB works:
You Apply for Insurance: With an MIB member company, and you are notified about reporting to MIB.
Sign an Authorization Form: Permitting MIB and insurers to share your information.
Information is Coded: For example, a specific code might represent “alcohol abuse.” This protects your health records.
Applying with Another Company: The new insurer can request your report from MIB to compare with your application.
Inconsistencies: If discrepancies are found, the insurer may ask additional questions.
Privacy and Security Measures
MIB uses confidential codes and robust security standards to protect individual privacy.
However, the database doesn’t contain actual medical records. Instead, it gathers information from:
The applicant’s medical questionnaire
Relevant information from the applicant’s doctor
Adverse lab test results
DMV information
What the MIB doesn’t collect:
Auto and home insurance application data
Information from non-member insurers or group-based policies
Data from Affordable Care Act applications
Information older than seven years
Details of accepted or declined applications
Information from applicants in good health approved by the insurer
Accessing Your MIB Consumer File
You can request a free copy of your MIB file annually. Be ready to provide personal details like your Social Security number, names, date and place of birth, occupation, recent addresses, and phone number.
Note: You may not have a file if your application was more than seven years ago, for non-individually underwritten insurance, or to a non-member company.
If you notice anything on your Consumer File that seems inaccurate or incomplete, you can dispute these at no charge. However, the MIB states only 1-2% of files have been amended for this reason.
MIB’s Life Insurance Policy Finder Service
If you need to find a deceased relative’s lost life insurance policy, MIB offers a Policy Locator Service. Only estate executors or administrators will be provided information.
Information about the Policy Locator Service (PLS):
Availability: PLS is not accessible to residents of California, or if the decedent (the person about whom a search is requested) was a resident of California.
Search Results: While the service can find life insurance applications, it does not provide information on whether a policy was issued, inforce at the time of the insured’s death, or if any benefits are payable. Data also will not include details about the beneficiary.
Date Range: The service only covers underwritten life insurance applications at MIB member companies from January 1, 1996, to the present.
Types Not Covered: The PLS does not include information about:
Policies with lower face amounts ($100,000 and below).
Guaranteed issue and employer-based life insurance that is not individually underwritten.
Military-issued life insurance.
Understanding the MIB can seem complex, but its mission is crucial in maintaining the integrity of the insurance industry and helping consumers. Whether you’re applying for new insurance or managing existing policies, being aware of how the MIB operates can help you stay informed.
