Privacy policy from Maryland Health Connection website – Sharing info with law enforcement?

Drudge Report is highlighting this right now, and it’s another one of those poorly worded privacy statements on a website. Supposedly, Maryland feels as though it’s perfectly fine to share your personal information with law enforcement.

If you think about it, if the government is running health care and law enforcement is part of the government, why would you think the government would not be able to share information with itself? /sarc

Here is the full paragraph under General Privacy Policies, with my emphasis in bold.

Should you decide to apply for health coverage through Maryland Health Connection, the information you supply in your application will be used to determine whether you are eligible for health and dental coverage offered through Maryland Health Connection and for insurance affordability programs. It also may be used to assist you in making a payment for the insurance plan you select, and for related automated reminders or other activities permitted by law.  We will preserve the privacy of personal records and protect confidential or privileged information in full accordance with federal and State law. We will not sell your information to others.  Any information that you provide to us in your application will be used only to carry out the functions of Maryland Health Connection. The only exception to this policy is that we may share information provided in your application with the appropriate authorities for law enforcement and audit activities.

That’s a pretty wide net when you add in “audit activities.” Note they will share information provided in the application, so it does not seem to include actual health care records, but you never know.

Now, if they identify what they think is a fraudulent application submitted, what would be the steps they would take? This privacy policy says nothing about fraudulent applications or illegal stuff, the policy just states they may share information from the application with “appropriate authorities.” Why would you do that Maryland?

Just as a note, our Terms of Use is pretty clear about sharing your information with law enforcement.

We do value your privacy, your e-mail addresses will not be shared with anyone, unless your comments or other behavior fall into the category of “illegal.” In that case, all bets are off. We’ll be happy to provide e-mail addresses, IP addresses, comment logs, server access logs, and chat logs to law enforcement if required.

Here is a screen shot of the paragraph above.

maryland-privacy-policy

Steve McGough

Steve's a part-time conservative blogger. Steve grew up in Connecticut and has lived in Washington, D.C. and the Bahamas. He resides in Connecticut, where he’s comfortable six months of the year.

4 Comments

  1. Dimsdale on October 9, 2013 at 10:34 am

    “law enforcement and audit activities”…… It is all about power, and as we have seen, the IRS and law enforcement (capitol police and the park service rangers) are already being abused by the immature president and his cronies.
    ?
    What do you think they are going to do when they get more of your personal information?? You don’t have to guess; they are telling you!
    ?
    I think I will review the privacy brouhaha that the left raised about the PATRIOT Act now…….



  2. Lynn on October 9, 2013 at 3:40 pm

    Our last stand is 2014, if we fail, there is no where left to go.



    • Dimsdale on October 11, 2013 at 8:36 am

      We better wake up the purist Republicans that were sleeping in 2012…..
      ?



  3. minako-rose2 on October 15, 2013 at 11:17 am

    this is very scary, I don’t want my medical info in the wrong hands.



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