Obamacare threatens consumer privacy

Editor’s Note:  Privacy issues and fraud (especially identity theft) relating to Obamacare have been well understood and discussed for years.  Dr. Dave Janda discussed these issues with many members of Congress and you would be shocked at some of the stories he reveals in my interview with him.  Click here to listen. — Eric Dubin

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TND Guest Contributor: Travis Perry │

OSAWATOMIE, Kan. — Throw another one on the pile: Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt has become the latest to chime in alongside the veritable chorus of voices calling for caution in the face of the Obamacare rollout.

Schmidt said in a news release Friday morning that he is concerned issues with HealthCare.gov, the flagging federal health care exchange, are only the tip of the iceberg.

The comments were included in a letter penned to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, which was signed by nine other state attorneys general. Schmidt said his concerns center around data security and a lack of background checks and controls for Obamacare navigators.

Earlier in October, if you recall, one such navigator in Lawrence landed in the hot seat after media reports uncovered she not only had a bench warrant out for her arrest in Shawnee County, but also a troubled financial history including bankruptcy in 2003 and a 2007 civil charge from Midwest Checkrite.

Jon Stewart, chief executive officer for Heartland Community Health Center where navigator Rosilyn Wells works, said the center knew up front about Wells’ checkered past, and that it actually made her a better candidate when it comes to advising folks in difficult situations.

Schmidt doesn’t necessarily agree.

“The federal standards for navigators provide inadequate consumer protections to prevent the stealing of personal information,” the attorneys general wrote, expressing concern that because navigators have access to consumers’ personal information, the lack of screening creates a risk of identity theft or other privacy violations.

Schmidt stated in the news release that Sebelius this week testified it’s possible for people with a felony conviction to become navigators with access to consumers’ personal information.

Stewart previously told Kansas Watchdog that Wells did undergo a background check before being hired, but it was only designed to root-out felony convictions, not Wells’ unpaid civil debt.

Read the full letter here.

RELATED: Obamacare navigator under fire for arrest warrant
RELATED: Kansas lawmaker calls for crackdown on Obamacare navigators

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Travis Perry writes for Watchdog.org, an online news organization that publishes articles by independent journalists covering state-specific and local government activity. The program began in September 2009, a project of Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to promoting new media journalism.

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