Author Anupam Gupta Raises Concerns Over Invasive Health Insurance Claim Verification Process

Author and podcast host Anupam Gupta recently took to social media to share a troubling experience with his health insurance provider, raising concerns about the increasingly invasive procedures used to verify claims. On April 7, Gupta was caught off guard when representatives from his insurance company arrived at his home without prior notice, demanding verification for a claim he had submitted.

According to Gupta, he was not given any heads-up about the visit. “I received no communication from my insurer whatsoever. These people just showed up outside my building,” he wrote, adding sarcastically, “But I guess that makes sense—if they give a warning, I might just stage a scam, right?”

During the unannounced verification, Gupta was asked to provide a range of personal documents and data:

• Claim-related documents:
  Despite already submitting original documents, he was again asked to furnish copies.
• Google Timeline data:
  To confirm his presence at a nursing home on a specific date, officials requested access to his location history. Gupta declined, saying, “We don’t share our location with Google, and we won’t share it with you either.”
• Credit card statements:
  He was asked to show proof of payment for medical services through his transaction history.
• Photos of his home:
  The verification agents took pictures of his residence during the visit.
• Lengthy interviews:
  Gupta also underwent a detailed questioning session conducted by an agency representative.

When he asked whether such a process was normal, the representatives claimed it was standard across the industry, even showing him various declarations on their mobile phones to support their claim.

Gupta acknowledged that fraudulent claims are a genuine concern for insurers, but he questioned the extent of scrutiny applied to genuine policyholders. “I understand that there are a lot of fake claims, and I get that the insurance companies are just trying to protect themselves. I even know that this is all part of the fine print we agree to when we sign up for a policy. But is this really what it’s come to?”

He emphasized the discomfort and privacy implications of the process, calling for a conversation on how far verification procedures should go in balancing fraud prevention with respect for individual privacy.