Thursday, March 28, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Monday, September 9, 2013
When Obamacare 'Navigators' Ask If You're Qualified, You Should Ask Them About Identity Theft
By Selected News Articles @ 7:40 PM :: 4086 Views :: Health Care

When Obamacare 'Navigators' Ask If You're Qualified, You Should Ask Them About Identity Theft

by Grace-Marie Turner, Galen Institute, September 9, 2013

Starting October 1, armies of “Navigators” will begin asking Americans very personal questions to learn if they qualify for taxpayer-subsidized insurance under ObamaCare.

Thirteen attorneys general have expressed deep concerns about what the Navigators are going to do with the information. They are rightly worried about identity theft and fraud as consumers reveal Social Security numbers, addresses, employer information, income, home addresses, children’s names, health habits, and much more.

Now Congress is asking some questions of its own, including how Navigators and the organizations they work for will be spending $67 million in federal grants they received last month.

The groups are outraged that they are being questioned.  “It is shocking. It is absolutely shocking,” says Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, executive director of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, that received a $1.9 million grant.

Letters signed by 15 Republican members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee request information from 51 organizations – including hospitals, universities, Indian tribes, patient advocacy groups and community organizers – about how they intend to use the money. A total of 104 organizations shared the $67 million in grants.

“It is Congress’ responsibility to conduct careful oversight and to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars,” said Energy and Commerce Committee Vice Chairman Marsha Blackburn, R-TN.  “Americans have every right to know how their hard-earned dollars are being spent to implement the president’s health care law.”

The ranking member on the committee, Rep. Henry Waxman, D-CA, who is a master at congressional oversight, blasted back with a letter of his own:  “You have opened investigations of every group that received Navigator grants in 11 states,” he wrote.  “And you are requesting that they provide briefings and answer a long list of questions on organization budgets and employee training, education, monitoring, review, and supervision.”

Exactly.

The questions Upton and 14 other members of his committee are asking are sensible questions designed to make sure that taxpayer money is being spent appropriately.

For example, the committee asks the organizations receiving the grants to provide a written description of:

  • the work that will be performed with the funds obtained via your Navigator grant including a detailed description of how this funding will be utilized
  • the training or education employees, volunteers, or representatives must complete
  • the processes and procedures in place to monitor, review, or otherwise supervise your employees, volunteers, or representatives
  • how your organization will utilize the information obtained during performance of your Navigator grant

There’s more, but you get the picture.  Does this sound like an outrageous request from Members of Congress?

It apparently does to Rep. Frank Pallone, D-NJ.  He was quoted as saying the investigation is “another attempt to undermining the Affordable Care Act…using harassment and intimidation tactics, and what amounts to modern McCarthyism, with no justification for their actions.”

The Energy and Commerce Committee requested the information from the Navigator organizations by September 13.  “We are simply asking these organizations who received Navigator grants – tell us how you will spend the money and how you will protect personal financial and health information during the enrollment process,” Blackburn said. “It is our job to ask those questions.”

Waxman counters: “You are insisting on voluminous document productions by September 13, just when these groups need to be focused on their mission of helping uninsured Americans enroll for coverage.  Indeed, it appears that these requests may have been sent solely to divert the resources of small, local community groups, just as they are needed to help with the new health care law.”

One has to wonder how many other groups are not accustomed to answering questions about how they are spending millions of dollars in taxpayer money.

---30---

Related: The Next Threat to Your Privacy

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

808 Silent Majority

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federalist Society

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Homeschool Association

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Smokers Alliance

Hawaii State Data Lab

Hawaii Together

HIEC.Coop

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Moms for Liberty

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

Investigative Project on Terrorism

July 4 in Hawaii

Kakaako Cares

Keep Hawaii's Heroes

Land and Power in Hawaii

Legislative Committee Analysis Tool

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

Malama Pregnancy Center of Maui

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Military Home Educators' Network Oahu

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Christian Foundation Hawaii

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

No GMO Means No Aloha

Not Dead Yet, Hawaii

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Oahu Alternative Transport

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

OurFutureHawaii.com

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

PEACE Hawaii

People vs Machine

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

P.U.E.O.

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

ReRoute the Rail

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

Robotics Organizing Committee

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Sink the Jones Act

Statehood for Guam

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

UCC Truths

US Tax Foundation Hawaii Info

VAREP Honolulu

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii

Yes2TMT