Inappropriate Information Harvesting

[weilke]

I ran into this recently...sad really...the docs now can't take cash from you if you hold an insurance policy was how it was told to me...

Depends on what kind of contract you have:
- if you have an 'indemnity' type contract (the type that pays X% of the 'usual and customary charges'), there is no reason why you cant pre-pay or pay above what the insurance covers. Those insurance contracts are basically between patient and insurance, the doc is just someone the patient directs payment to.
- if you have a PPO (preferred provider organization, usually has a fixed copay or a 80/20 split between insurance and patient) type contract, the doc is typically limited to whatever the contracted rate is.
- if you have an HMO, the doc is limited to whatever the contracted rate is.

 

[denverpilot]

We got a note from a service provider that will renew FCC licenses today for one of our callsigns. It claims that the FCC now requires SSN on license renewals. I'll be looking into this. Ridiculous. Papers, tovarisch.

 

[denverpilot]

I stopped donating blood - and told the person at the NY blood center that I would not start again until they stopped collecting my SS number. There is no reason they need that.

Where I donate, they ask for the SSN, but accept "I won't provide that" as an answer.

Resurrecting this old thread to add some interesting info. I donated blood this week.

The blood donation folks smiled and said, "You haven't given blood with us since 1991... are you still on X Street?"

I didn't think about it until later but realized that they were on an UNCONNECTED to the Net laptop... which means they have personal information of all donators all the way back to at least 1991 on EVERY laptop in EVERY donation vehicle.

That's just ... freaky. I can almost guarantee that laptop isn't encrypted with anything like TrueCrypt either, since few people even seem to know what it is.

This particular place does not require SSN at all, but it seemed related to this thread, so I thought I'd share.

 

[dmccormack]

Resurrecting this old thread to add some interesting info. I donated blood this week.

The blood donation folks smiled and said, "You haven't given blood with us since 1991... are you still on X Street?"

I didn't think about it until later but realized that they were on an UNCONNECTED to the Net laptop... which means they have personal information of all donators all the way back to at least 1991 on EVERY laptop in EVERY donation vehicle.

That's just ... freaky. I can almost guarantee that laptop isn't encrypted with anything like TrueCrypt either, since few people even seem to know what it is.

This particular place does not require SSN at all, but it seemed related to this thread, so I thought I'd share.

Dude, that ship sailed a long time ago -- especially when you use your full name on a public web board.




I'm more concerned about the various questions asked when you donate blood, involving habits, furniture use, and various monkeys.

 

[iflyforfun]

...or the door knobs, the elevator buttons, ATM keypad and touch screens, restaurant menus, salt and pepper shakers, ketchup bottles, the handles at buffets, the pen to sign in with....... I can go on and on!!

Or the bathroom door. I SWEAR only about 20% of the male population wash their hands after using the bathroom. We lived overseas for a while where they put small bowl of peanuts out at the bar. The wives called them peni$ nuts and would go nuts (pun intended) if any of the husbands touched them.

 

[ScottM]

We got a note from a service provider that will renew FCC licenses today for one of our callsigns. It claims that the FCC now requires SSN on license renewals. I'll be looking into this. Ridiculous. Papers, tovarisch.

Nate what did you find out about the SSN stuff? My ham license comes up for renewal soon and I was thinking of just letting the ARRL deal with the renewal and vanity issuance for callsign. But I would not be happy about giving them my SSN.

 

[ScottM]

Dude, that ship sailed a long time ago -- especially when you use your full name on a public web board.




I'm more concerned about the various questions asked when you donate blood, involving habits, furniture use, and various monkeys.

Donating blood. Hmm I remember when I was allowed to do that. Now I am some sort of donation mudblood and get whacked for a variety of reasons. I take aspirin, I lived in the UK for more than 6 months in the 1980s (mad cow disease), exposure to HIV (thank you gamma globulin), travel (apparently Seoul S. Korea is a hot bed of malaria in Jan and Feb), etc.

 

[Gary F]

I was issued a signature stamp with my printed name, rank and SSN by the Army. We were required to use this under our illegible signature in patient records and official government forms. I eventually carved off my SSN from the stamp but it is listed in hundreds of patient records.

 

[John Baker]

The documents are protected and never released except by accepted protocols.

Well maybe, perhaps. Unless of course their copier is sold or recycled, copiers actually have a memory drive. Or perhaps when one of their computers gets stolen or misplaced. It is even possible for an employee to be earning a little side income as a farmer, harvesting information from patients files.

There is no such thing as secure information, it is all out there somewhere, and is available to the unscrupulous. It does not matter who is collecting and securing this information on your behalf, be it your dentist or your government.

How many times have you heard stories in the news about secure information being compromised? Dentist dies, records tossed in dumpster. Computers lost or stolen. At least a couple of times a year, and it is always; "We have learned from our mistake."

Needless information gathering, it seems to be a major part of our culture and industries. It's all part of being an American, we not only have to pay for our various services, we must also submit to the risk of identity theft.

John

 

[murphey]

Many years ago Sam's Club came to Colorado. I went in to see what it was and possibly get a membership. I refused to provide the SSN, and Walton Corp refused to give me a membership. Fine with me. Costco only asks for $35 and nothing else.

Big ski & snow trade show and giving away lift tickets. In exchange, you needed to provide what was disguised as a credit application, including SSN. I didn't get the lift tickets.

 

[denverpilot]

Nate what did you find out about the SSN stuff? My ham license comes up for renewal soon and I was thinking of just letting the ARRL deal with the renewal and vanity issuance for callsign. But I would not be happy about giving them my SSN.

I was able to renew Karen's license via the online system without it. I think if you fill out a paper form it's on there, though. No idea if they'd reject it if you left it blank. Haven't done mine yet.

 

[weilke]

I was issued a signature stamp with my printed name, rank and SSN by the Army. We were required to use this under our illegible signature in patient records and official government forms. I eventually carved off my SSN from the stamp but it is listed in hundreds of patient records.

When I was a resident, the hospital issued us signature stamps that contained the hospitals DEA number with our resident-specific suffix. It was awesome, all a dope-head needed was a pack of blank triplicates and the stamp and he could forge prescriptions all day long . In addition, the suffix was also your login for the hospitals computer system . Whenever someone lost their stamp, a lot of people in administration got very bent out of shape, don't know why .

 

[slacktide]

WA, along with a couple others states, have drivers licenses with SSN numbers on them. Irritates the heck out of me. No reason for it to be there. Oh, its for ID? Then why do I come across (on a far too regular basis) DL's that state "Identity Not Verified" on them?

Mine doesn't, and never has. Have lived in WA since 1998.

 

[Ghery]

Mine doesn't, and never has. Have lived in WA since 1998.

Mine, either. And I've been back in the state since 1996. First licenced here in 1968.