How to Access the Medical Information Bureau (MIB) [2023]
The Medical Information Bureau (MIB) compiles information that individuals enter into applications for life insurance and other health-related insurance types. In addition, the MIB creates reports that help insurance companies determine if an individual omits or enters inaccurate information on their application. You can also access your Medical Information Bureau (MIB) report to ensure the entries are correct.
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Benjamin Carr
Former State Farm Insurance Agent
Benjamin Carr worked as a licensed insurance agent at State Farm and Tennant Special Risk. He sold various lines of coverage and informed his clients about their life, health, property/casualty insurance needs. Assessing risks and helping people find the best coverage to suit their needs is a passion of his. He appreciates that insurance was designed to protect people, particularly during times...
Former State Farm Insurance Agent
UPDATED: Feb 28, 2023
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Our life insurance industry partnerships don’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own. To compare quotes from many different life insurance companies please enter your ZIP code above to use the free quote tool. The more quotes you compare, the more chances to save.
Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about life insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything life insurance-related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by life insurance experts.
UPDATED: Feb 28, 2023
It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right life insurance coverage choices.
Advertiser Disclosure: We strive to help you make confident life insurance decisions. Comparison shopping should be easy. We are not affiliated with any one life insurance company and cannot guarantee quotes from any single company.
Our life insurance industry partnerships don’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own. To compare quotes from many different life insurance companies please enter your ZIP code above to use the free quote tool. The more quotes you compare, the more chances to save.
On This Page
- The Medical Information Bureau (MIB) compiles information from an individual’s life, health, disability, or long-term care insurance applications
- MIB reports may include medical information, risky hobbies and habits, driving record information, and credit information
- Insurance companies can access MIB reports to ensure that information is accurate and consistent
- MIB reports can also be used to detect fraud
When you apply for life insurance or some other type of health-related insurance, the information you put on your application is submitted to the Medical Information Bureau (MIB), which compiles all of the data into a single report. Insurance companies can access these reports to ensure accurate information on applications.
Consumers can also access their own MIB report to make sure the records are correct. Learn how to access your Medical Information Bureau (MIB) report and how it is used by life insurance companies to determine your life insurance rates.
After accessing your MIB report, enter your ZIP code into our free quote comparison tool above to find an affordable life insurance company near you.
What is the Medical Information Bureau (MIB)?
The Medical Information Bureau (MIB) is an organization that compiles information from an individual’s insurance applications. For example, if you apply for life insurance, health insurance, disability insurance, or long-term care insurance, the MIB will compile the information that you enter into each application.
What is the purpose of the Medical Information Bureau? The MIB compiles the information from insurance applications to ensure that consumers are entering accurate and consistent information.
What would the Medical Information Bureau identify? In cases where a consumer does not enter the same information across all applications, the MIB would identify differences in information and possibly fraud. Insurance companies can also access the reports created by the MIB to verify the information on your application.
Who makes up the Medical Information Bureau? Almost every life insurance company in the United States and Canada is a member of the MIB, which is more than 800 companies. Each company can see the information that other companies know about an individual.
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What is in an MIB report?
An MIB report will include information from your insurance applications from the past three to five years. The report may include:
- The date of any insurance applications
- The date of a diagnosis or medical treatment
- All known medical conditions
- Types of medical treatments
- The source of medical information
- Habits such as smoking or drug use
- Risky hobbies or activities
- Driving records
- Credit information
For example, if you have an operation done and enter it onto an insurance application, your MIB report would include information such as the operation type, the date of the operation, and where they received that information (usually from an Attending Physician Statement).
Insurance companies can use this information, along with other records, such as a medical exam, other physician statements, and prescription records to make sure that nothing important is missing from your application.
Entries on your MIB report will remain for up to seven years. In addition, if an underwriting company requests your records, that will be noted on your report for up to two years.
There are no personal identifiers included in your MIB report, which means the information can’t be used to steal your identity. Instead, the information is coded according to the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision (ICD-10). In addition, your MIB report includes only information that is “significant to the underwriting process.”
The entire process of compiling information falls under Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations, which means that information cannot be sent to an insurance company without your consent.
How do I access my MIB report?
If you have ever applied for insurance, you can request a copy of your MIB report online or by calling (866) 692-6901. The copy that you receive may include:
- Medical and personal information
- The names of insurance companies that have requested your information
- The dates on which insurance companies requested your information
- Information from the MIB’s Disability Insurance Record System (DIRS) for those who have applied for disability insurance
The MIB falls under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), which means that you have all the rights associated with the FCRA, including free copies of your report. In addition, you also have the right to dispute any incorrect information in your report.
Why do life insurance companies use MIB reports?
The MIB was created to protect insurance companies and consumers against fraud. Therefore, life insurance companies, as well as other types of insurance companies, can use MIB reports to ensure that consumers are providing accurate information.
Life insurance companies will set your life insurance rates based on the amount of risk that you pose to the insurance company, based on health, lifestyle, and more. Therefore, insurance companies can access your MIB report to verify medical information and to help determine how much they will charge for your policy.
Verifying your information with an MIB report helps life insurance companies charge accurate prices. For example, if an applicant forgets to include a past medical procedure on their application, or if someone is purposely committing fraud, the life insurance company can either raise their rates according to their health status or deny coverage due to fraud.
After you’ve checked your Medical Information Bureau report, enter your ZIP code into our free quote comparison tool below to find affordable life insurance.
Your life insurance quotes are always free.
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Benjamin Carr
Former State Farm Insurance Agent
Benjamin Carr worked as a licensed insurance agent at State Farm and Tennant Special Risk. He sold various lines of coverage and informed his clients about their life, health, property/casualty insurance needs. Assessing risks and helping people find the best coverage to suit their needs is a passion of his. He appreciates that insurance was designed to protect people, particularly during times...
Former State Farm Insurance Agent
Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about life insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything life insurance-related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by life insurance experts.