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How does one medical insurance company find out about your coverage from another?

I know there is a computer system they use to look it up. What is the system called and how far back can they look up? (medical insurance coverage from 5 or 10 years ago?

Public Comments

1. Well, when you sign all those papers getting coverage, you authorize them to learn every single detail about you related to your coverage. They then take that information to other insurance companies and say "Hey, we want information about bills we've been paying for this person that you might have been paying too." If you don't like it, don't get insurance.
2. It's the Medical Information Bureau (MIB). They don't have everybody in the database but they've been around for 100 years so I guess they could go back that far. However, insurance companies usually only go back 10 years for major conditions, less for minor conditions.
3. Medical Information Bureau, maintains the listing, depending on the underwriter, the look back period my only be 5 to 10 years.