Prescription database check

A prescription database check is a report insurers order during underwriting that lists the medications an applicant has filled, along with dates, dosages and prescribing doctors. Specialized vendors compile the data from pharmacy benefit managers and pharmacy claims, and the insurer gets your permission through the authorization you sign with the application.

Underwriters use the report to confirm what you disclosed and to spot conditions you didn't mention. A medication can reveal a diagnosis: a statin points to high cholesterol, a blood thinner to a clotting or heart condition. Hypothetically, an applicant who answers "no" to depression questions but shows two years of antidepressant fills will likely face follow-up questions, a request for medical records, or a decision based on the undisclosed history. These checks are central to no-exam and accelerated programs, where the insurer relies on data instead of blood work.

Because these vendors generally operate as consumer reporting agencies under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you can request a copy of your report and dispute errors, and an insurer that takes adverse action based on it must tell you. The simplest protection is to disclose prescriptions accurately. See how insurers check your prescription history and the related The MIB report: what insurers know about your history.