The Wall Street Journal recently reported that some companies, like the steadily nefarious Walmart, are hiring outside "employee wellness firms" to mine employee data. The information they collect ranges from what employees buy and where to what prescriptions they're getting filled—in theory, in order to identify employees with certain health conditions and make predictive suggestions to help manage their healthcare.

 

Jay Stanley, a senior policy analyst at the ACLU, notes that employee wellness firms can also buy additional information on employees through data mining companies. "Some of these firms buy information from data brokers," he says. "Data mining is a giant, multi-billion dollar industry that a lot of Americans have no idea about. And data brokers are basically in the same business that Soviet secret police were in in East Germany, which is collecting as much information about as many people as they can. They collect giant files on people's preferences, lifestyles, and demographic information. That information can be mined for all kinds of insights."

 

https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/your-employer-can-now-track-your-birth-control-prescription

Predictive analytics are huge in the insurance industry. Data mining is a critical component of that. I can't speak for the health side of things, but on property and casualty, I can verify that data is collected that would surprise many people.

I'm ignorant of the rules but I would have thought Hipaa laws would be involved.

I'm ignorant of the rules but I would have thought Hipaa laws would be involved.

 

Note when said third party is hired to complete those task. Example my company uses a third party company to manage all that stuff. All of our flex spend and hsa stuff is submitted to said third party and they do the leg work and get the reimbursement to employee. (I am not on the company insurance so not 100% on how it works but that's what they tell us happens every year in those meetings.)

 

In other words they have the info anyways.

The larger issue is Government and Big Business often create a "third party" to do their dirty work.

 

This is why protecting our information is such a big deal, once our information is out there, it is always available to our Overlords.

If the NSA or whomever, can fly over cities and monitor certain cell phone numbers and conversations, then there's not a lot of privacy to be had anyway. You made this comment in a post recently and that is more frightening than keeping records of my birth control pill RX. Maybe I should have said my old age RXS.

Why is protecting our own private information such a big deal, is there really such a thing as that anymore? Every post you make, every subject you research, every product you compare before purchase, every phone call, email, text, tweet you make, someone somewhere is mining that data. Just to provide an example, I recently searched for new surgeries for a health problem and I start receiving by email and U.S. mail, advertisements discussing or offering solutions. My insurance is not through an employer but someone out there has mined private information supposedly protected by HIPPA laws. Good luck finding that leak. Privacy has become a very sheer curtain, if it exists at all if you use any electronics.

When doc put family member on a fairly expensive Rx a few years back, we started getting calls and letters from the wellness folks -- "Hi, this is Nancy, your personal nurse." Of course, the intent of these calls and letters was simply to get said family member off of the pricy Rx, so insurance company could make more money.

Back when I was at the local CMHC, our insurance provider (at the time) gave us upon request a detailed list of all services - including pharmacy - for every employee.

The larger issue is Government and Big Business often create a "third party" to do their dirty work.

 

This is why protecting our information is such a big deal, once our information is out there, it is always available to our Overlords.

 

Agree 100%. This has been an issue for a number of years and is housed under the guise of "wellness". The way the company can trap their employees in this mess is by offering cash to be put into your health saving account by completing a "wellness survey" and getting a physical. Once these items are complete, they have all they need to make a determination about your profile.

 

In my case, it was determined that I was 1) Clinically Obese and 2) was at risk for a heart attack. All because of these profile results. I'll admit I'm on BP meds and do not exactly fit the "thin" profile....

 

Now for the worst part: I get a call about a week later from a "Wellness Coach" who wants to set up some times to talk about what I can to do get more healthy, reduce my risk, etc.... I declined, they insisted, we no longer speak.

 

This information can be easily passed on and used against an individual when they attempt to apply for life insurance, health insurance or any short / long term disability...because it's all readily available to the employers.

 

This is Big Brother at the base level...even if you are not a believer in Black Helicopters or you love the NSA, this should, at the very least, scare you into thinking about what you give up.

 

If you don't believe that Death Panels are the next medical model....come on out from under your rainbow and join the rest of us.

Agree 100%. This has been an issue for a number of years and is housed under the guise of "wellness". The way the company can trap their employees in this mess is by offering cash to be put into your health saving account by completing a "wellness survey" and getting a physical. Once these items are complete, they have all they need to make a determination about your profile.

 

In my case, it was determined that I was 1) Clinically Obese and 2) was at risk for a heart attack. All because of these profile results. I'll admit I'm on BP meds and do not exactly fit the "thin" profile....

 

Now for the worst part: I get a call about a week later from a "Wellness Coach" who wants to set up some times to talk about what I can to do get more healthy, reduce my risk, etc.... I declined, they insisted, we no longer speak.

 

This information can be easily passed on and used against an individual when they attempt to apply for life insurance, health insurance or any short / long term disability...because it's all readily available to the employers.

 

This is Big Brother at the base level...even if you are not a believer in Black Helicopters or you love the NSA, this should, at the very least, scare you into thinking about what you give up.

 

If you don't believe that Death Panels are the next medical model....come on out from under your rainbow and join the rest of us.

 

I work for a local Cincy bank and this sounds eerily similar to the process there...from the money put in the HSA to the Wellness Coach. They say the information will be kept confidential...sure it will...

Why is protecting our own private information such a big deal, is there really such a thing as that anymore? Every post you make, every subject you research, every product you compare before purchase, every phone call, email, text, tweet you make, someone somewhere is mining that data. Just to provide an example, I recently searched for new surgeries for a health problem and I start receiving by email and U.S. mail, advertisements discussing or offering solutions. My insurance is not through an employer but someone out there has mined private information supposedly protected by HIPPA laws. Good luck finding that leak. Privacy has become a very sheer curtain, if it exists at all if you use any electronics.

 

Why is protecting personal information important ? Is this serious ? Is this America ?

Why is protecting personal information important ? Is this serious ? Is this America ?

This is America of the 21st century electronics and privacy is nearly impossible to maintain. This infringement doesn't seem like it could happen in America does it?

If the NSA or whomever, can fly over cities and monitor certain cell phone numbers and conversations, then there's not a lot of privacy to be had anyway. You made this comment in a post recently and that is more frightening than keeping records of my birth control pill RX. Maybe I should have said my old age RXS.

 

And that was almost 10 years ago that our government had that capability.

 

For anyone interested in Drone Tech PBS did a nice job with this documentary. It was aired in 2013 so you have to figure what PBS was able to disclose is almost five years old now.

 

NOVA - Official Website | Rise of the Drones

I work for a local Cincy bank and this sounds eerily similar to the process there...from the money put in the HSA to the Wellness Coach. They say the information will be kept confidential...sure it will...

 

"I'm from the Government…..and I'm here to help you."