Posted by Tina
An AP report in reports that exchange workers have given names, addresses, telephone numbers and email’s when available to people in the insurance industry in an attempt to meet the December 23rd deadline to have people enrolled by January first.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The California health exchange says it’s been giving the names of tens of thousands of consumers to insurance agents without their permission or knowledge in an effort to hit deadlines for coverage.
The consumers in question had gone online to research insurance options but didn’t ask to be contacted, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday (http://lat.ms/1jyABXS ).
The exchange lawyers were certain that no privacy laws were broken but at least one California Insurance broker was “shocked and dumbfounded” that they would do this:
…some insurance brokers and consumers weren’t pleased with the state’s initiative.
“I’m shocked and dumbfounded,” said Sam Smith, an Encino insurance broker and president of the California Association of Health Underwriters, an industry group.“These people would have a legitimate complaint,” said Smith, who added he had been given two consumer names.
The names provided include people who started an insurance application on the Covered California website but didn’t complete the process.
And the beat goes on. Talk about more “mess” for us to clean up. The next couple of years are going to be horrible for those needing care and those attempting to insure and provide it.