Obamacare’s start date, October 1st, is rapidly approaching. As the impending Tuesday draws nearer and nearer, new headlines are drawing attention to unsettling aspects of the system. Troubling enough was the NSA surveillance scandal this summer. Now, add sensitive medical information to the mix. Concerned citizens are raising privacy questions, from sex life to social security numbers, under the new system. How could your own privacy be affected by Obamacare? Find out below:
Talk about intrusive- Obamacare is set to question your sex life, reports an article in the New York Post. Author McCaughey describes how under Obamacare, patients can expect to be asked personal questions about their sex life, whether or not it is relevant to their medical situation. McCaughey describes how doctors are being given economic incentives to collect and divulge answers to questions that doctors may “consider inappropriate and unnecessary.” New York cardiologist Dr. Adam Budzikowski describes the sex questions as “insensitive, stupid and very intrusive.”
Think all data is secure under Obamacare? Think again: the Star Tribune reports that a breach in security has already occurred. According to an official at MNsure, the “official Minnesota health insurance marketplace/exchange,” private data has been mishandled. This data includes the “Social Security numbers, names, business addresses and other identifying information on more than 2,400 insurance agents.” Oops.
Con-artists are eagerly taking advantage of the general confusion about the new system, according to an article on ABC News. The author states that the manipulation of the confusion caused by Obamacare is likely only to get worse. He describes how, “scam artists- masquerading as government representatives — have tricked a number of consumers into coughing up personal information over the phone. That’s just the opening shot. Once millions of consumers begin providing unprecedented amounts of personal data to various health exchanges through countless state and federal networks, the real assault will begin.”
What is a “navigator,” you may ask? Good question. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius describes a navigator as one of the “many resources available to help consumers understand their coverage options in the Marketplace.” A recent article on Forbes more aptly describes it as “a fancy term for taxpayer-funded community helpers.” Indeed, the Obama administration recently poured $67 million into 100 different organization for the program. However, little training and inadequate standards for “navigators” could mean data loss and theft. In August, 13 attorney generals sent a letter to Health and Human Services expressing concern that “As it now stands, it is inevitable that HHS’s vague ‘standards’ will result in improperly screened or inadequately trained personnel.”
Just imagine someone pulling an “Edward Snowden” with your medical information. Legal Insurrection has depicted how Edward Snowden’s NSA leak reveals “the totality of information gathered by government, the weak oversight, and the potential for abuse…. Among other things, the Snowden affair is a stark warning as to the danger the gathering of private medical information under Obamacare poses not just from the government itself, but from leakers. Imagine some HHS employee pulling a Snowden with your medical information.” Think government systems safeguards are enough to protect your medical information? Think again.
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