Mandatory Health Care Exposes Social Security Numbers
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| Donna Thomas |
City resident Donna Thomas of Quincy Street was referring to the state's healthcare reform legislation that requires all state residents over age 18 to be covered by a health insurance plan.
Those who do not enroll in an employer-offered plan or one of the recently developed Health Connector Commonwealth Care or Commonwealth Choice plans face state-imposed tax penalties that escalate as years pass.
According to information posted at a www.mahealthconnector.org Internet web site "If you don't have health insurance by Dec. 31, 2007, you will lose your personal income tax exemption for 2007. That exemption gives you a Massachusetts tax savings of about $219. In 2008, the cost of the penalty goes up. The fine will equal half of the cost of the lowest priced Health Connector-certified plan for each month that you don't have coverage."
"We are being 'Big Brother-ed' to death and our identities are being compromised in the process," Thomas said during a May 10 interview at her home.
Identity Theft: No Easy Fix
Thomas is a licensed real estate agent and said she's very aware of the financial ruin that often follows cases of identity theft. It's access to social security numbers that most often paves the way to emptied bank accounts and unpaid, fraudulent credit card charges, Thomas said. She noted that identity theft prevention experts instruct people to avoid carrying their social security cards or other documents that host the one-of-a-kind number.
When she received her mandated state health insurance identification card in February, she said she was stunned to see her social security number emblazoned in dark ink across the top.
"I was appalled," she said during a May 10 interview at her home. "With identity theft as rampant as it is, that this state would mandate something requiring the prominent use of a social security number was appalling to me."
"Identity theft is no joke," she said. "It is happening and people can spend the rest of their lives trying to repair the damage. You can lose your credit rating, your credit cards, your financial freedom. People have been wiped out and we all know that once your identity has been stolen, it is a nightmare. There is no easy fix."
Thomas said she contacted the state's health connector offices, and the offices of her specific assigned healthcare services provider, the Boston-based BMC HealthNet, the day the card arrived.
Numerous Phone Calls
Representatives of each entity denied being responsible for assigning social security numbers as consumer id numbers, she said.
From a collection of written documentation, Thomas provided a calling sequence that indicated times of calls and the first and last names of those she spoke with. After being bounced back and forth between each entity several times, Thomas said she was connected with a BMC HealthNet supervisor who identified herself as Georgia O'Neil. According to Thomas, O'Neil acknowledged that there had been other complaints about the use of the social security numbers on the cards. Thomas said that O'Neil told her she was recording her concerns as well.
"She told me she was writing everything in my chart," Thomas said. "I don't know what she meant by 'my chart,' what chart? Are they keeping files on people? She did ask me if I wanted to file a formal complaint and I said yes. Her words were 'I am filing your complaint as we speak.' And I never heard another thing from them."
Additional Complaints
A BMC Healthnet customer services supervisor who identified herself only as "Alicia" said this morning that there are plans to assign id numbers that are different from social security numbers but there is currently no date for the planned change.
"Alicia" is the person who answered the phone after a reporter asked to speak to the individual who handles media inquiries.
"Alicia" confirmed that a Georgia O'Neil does work for the company, and also confirmed the names of others Thomas allegedly spoke with.
However, there is no record of Thomas stating she wanted to file a formal complaint, "Alicia" said. According to "Alicia," there is protocol for complaints and that protocol has not been launched for any matters involving Thomas.
There have been additional complaints about the use of social security numbers on the id cards, she said.
"It's a on-going issue," said "Alicia." "Those numbers are going to change, the Connector is going to change them. We don't have a dummy number that we can give people [as an alternative to social security number]. This is a new product, there's going to be wrinkles."
Willing To Provide Driver's License Number
There is an alternate nine-digit number that can be used, Thomas said.
"My driver's license number is one of a kind for this state and it has nine digits," she said. "And it makes sense to use driver's license numbers for people who have them; this state has been allowing people to use a number different than their social security number for their driver's license for over 30 years. They recognized the risks of public displays of social security numbers long before all this business of forced electronic records, forced insurance, all the new mandates. I don't even pay bills on-line."
"Once, once, I paid a [specific credit card] bill on-line and within three weeks there was a problem. I had to cancel the account and get a new card. So I really don't want to hear about security protocols and encryptions and all that; every company says that their accounts and the personal information is protected and safe. Right up until they announce on television that thousands of identities may have been compromised by a hacker."
001
Thomas was the first person to utilize a state-run women's health program known as Project H.E.R.O.A., she said, and then provided evidence of that, her identification number, 001. The initiative focused on breast health and is no longer in operation.
"They didn't need my social security number," she said. "I've picked up prescriptions and they didn't need my social security number. I really can't believe that the state did something to put so many people at risk."
Aggravating the situation is the mandatory nature of the program, she said.
Penalty Exemption Should be Offered, Thomas Said
"There's just too much mandatory stuff going on right now, people being forced to do things that they perhaps wouldn't choose for themselves. So who is going to be responsible when something happens? People who are lucky enough to have insurance through their employers probably do not have their social security numbers plastered on their card. It's only the people forced into this by this mandate that have to hand out their social security number every time they use their card."
"I do not believe anyone should penalized if they refuse to participate in a program that forces them to provide their social security number, not once, not twice, but every time they have to use this card."
Late this morning, Commonwealth Connector Authority media relations representative Dick Powers returned a telephone call seeking information about the use of social security numbers. Powers said that he needed to look into the matter prior to offering any comment. At 1:34 p.m., this e-mail was received at iberkshires.com:
"Susan, Two of the four carriers offering Commonwealth Care have the ability to use identifiers other than Social Security numbers. We are aware of the concerns raised by the inability of the two others to currently offer this service and are working with them to resolve this issue. Dick Powers"
"Alicia" said that she would forward contact information to her superiors and that a return phone call would likely occur by 9:30 a.m. today. As of 1:42 p.m., no phone calls from the health insurance firm had been received.
