The privacy of your medical information is partially protected by a federal law called the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act or HIPAA. This law requires medical providers and other healthcare entities, such as pharmacies and insurance companies, to keep your information private. Like any rule though, there are exceptions, and these healthcare providers can share your records if it is for your treatment, payment, or if your personal health information is redacted.

In addition to your own healthcare providers, the Medical Information Bureau (MIB) has a huge database of medical information about millions of Americans which it shares with hundreds of insurance companies. If you have applied for an individual life or health insurance product in the last seven years, MIB will have a consumer file for you.