What Is the Medical Information Bureau (MIB)?

MIB, formerly known as the Medical Information Bureau, is a not-for-profit, member-owned corporation that has served life insurers in the U.S. and Canada since 1902. MIB helps life insurance companies evaluate applicants effectively through detailed MIB reports during the underwriting process. This bureau manages a comprehensive consumer database that enhances the accuracy and efficiency of medical underwriting in life insurance.

• The Purpose of the MIB
• How the MIB Works
• Information That the MIB Collects
• How to Ask for a Copy of Your MIB Report
• FAQ

The MIB or MIB Group, Inc. plays a vital role in the insurance sector by enhancing the underwriting process for life insurance companies across the U.S. and Canada. As a collaborative organization owned by its member insurers, the MIB maintains a consumer database that allows insurance companies to assess applicants more accurately and screen them for past or current medical conditions. In addition to consumer medical information, the MIB collects information about dangerous hobbies and traffic violations. This information helps insurers reduce and prevent fraud.

When consumers apply for insurance, the information they provide about their habits and medical histories is sent to the MIB database. Information that insurers uncover during underwriting can also be added to a consumer file, and any member company can then access the information if that person files for insurance.

The MIB functions in a way that’s similar to a credit bureau. While a credit bureau tracks your credit history using lender-provided information like your credit cards and loans, the MIB tracks your medical history in order to help insurance companies decide how insurable you are. Types of insurance that require MIB reports include:

• Life insurance
• Health insurance
• Disability income
• Critical illness
• Long-term care

Your MIB report includes information about your medical history, including diagnoses and treatment of illness, as well as other personal factors like your driving record, employment and whether or not you participate in dangerous activities, like skydiving. The information listed in the MIB report includes:

• Date of any previous life insurance applications
• Date of diagnosis or treatment for an illness
• Medical conditions, including mental health
• Types of treatment for medical conditions
• Where the medical history came from
• Driving record, including accidents and tickets
• Criminal activity, including arrests
• Occupation status
• Travel to foreign countries
• Participation in dangerous activities, like skydiving

Insurance companies use the information provided in the MIB report to assess your application. While the MIB report is not the only factor that insurance companies take into consideration, it helps insurers verify that the information you provided in your application is accurate.

The MIB takes steps to ensure that user data is safe and that an individual’s data is private. It employs MIB codes, which are the same as the rest of the medical industry, and only includes information pertinent to an insurance application. The MIB doesn’t collect or store medical records; it only collects information about your medical history. Access to your MIB report is limited to you and the insurance companies, ensuring confidentiality and security.

You can request a free copy of your MIB report once per year. You can access your report online or over the phone.

This report will include the same information that an insurer will see when assessing a policy application. Information in the report includes:

• Any medical and personal information that the MIB has in its database, along with who reported the information and when it was reported.
• The name of any MIB member company that received or requested your MIB report.
• Information about disability benefits for which you’ve applied if you previously applied for disability income insurance.

It’s a good idea to review your MIB report to make sure that it’s accurate and error-free. This helps to ensure that your application is fairly assessed.

If you find any errors in your MIB report, you can take steps to dispute or change this information. In order to do so, you’ll need to submit a signed Request for Reinvestigation Form and provide information including your name, date of birth, where you live, your Social Security number and any items that you believe to be incomplete or inaccurate.

We’ve answered some frequently asked questions about the MIB to help you understand how it works.