The Hub - or How the US Gov't Got Your Info

[merithyn]

So, I'm in a departmental meeting today when the Director whips out this really neat printed document that shows how the new health insurance stuff is going to work. It's essentially this series of lines connecting a ton of tiny little boxes to one huge box in the center of the page. The huge box is labeled The Hub.

Inside The Hub is a list of 50 entities who are required by federal law now to submit ALL of their information to a central database for collection, including, but not limited to, IRS, SSN, Insurance companies, Employers, Banks, etc. By all, I mean your payment receipts from work, your insurance coverage (life, health, auto, etc), any income from other entities other than your employment, where you live, what you drive, etc.

This was all part of the Obamacare legislation in order to better facilitate the application process for subsidized health insurance. Basically, the application is filled out online, it's sent through The Hub to verify the information, and then forwarded on - with a Yeah or Nay response - to the insurance company. Pretty snazzy, right? Well, yes and no.

The Hub will also be used to verify your tax returns, your legal status in the US, where you are living at any given time (it's required to be updated by the states through drivers' licenses and state IDs), whether or not you have car insurance, etc.

It is, effectively, Big Brother come to life.

Was this mentioned anywhere at all when the whole Obamacare thing came out?

[dps]

What is the justification for even gathering some of that information in the context of health insurance?

[garbon]

Apparently in December both WSJ and USA Today were all about that.  I also found this infographic.

http://www.cchfreedom.org/files/files/TheObamacareHub.pdf

[garbon]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324478304578173753228248438.html

http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2012/12/06/column-potential-obamacare-privacy-nightmare/1752211/

USA Today talks about how no one really knows about this.

[grumbler]

Yep.  "Private"information like marital status and legal address can no longer be kept from the Evol Gubmint and the pernicious US Postal Service! 

This is all so the One World Government can use their Black Drones more efficiently to promote Big Brother.

[merithyn]

What is the justification for even gathering some of that information in the context of health insurance?

Well, in order to qualify for the subsidized insurance, the government feels that it has to verify your income, residency, whether or not you smoke, etc. To do so, they've stated that we must go through The Hub with each applicant. Given that every applicant - whether they're applying for subsidizing their premiums or not - are ELIGIBLE to apply, they must all go through the system.

This is also a convenient way to make sure that those applying for Medicaid benefits aren't lying (since employers are required to submit their information), those filing their taxes aren't lying (W-2s and paycheck stubs must be submitted), etc.

[merithyn]

Yep.  "Private"information like marital status and legal address can no longer be kept from the Evol Gubmint and the pernicious US Postal Service! 

This is all so the One World Government can use their Black Drones more efficiently to promote Big Brother.

Not really any of their business, is it?

[garbon]

This is all so the One World Government can use their Black Drones more efficiently to promote Big Brother.

Why does black always have to be used to connote evil?

[merithyn]

Yep.  "Private"information like marital status and legal address can no longer be kept from the Evol Gubmint and the pernicious US Postal Service! 

This is all so the One World Government can use their Black Drones more efficiently to promote Big Brother.

Actually, since when is marital status and legal address not private? One doesn't have to claim either if they don't choose to, but now, with so many different entities submitting their information, those things can be sussed out whether you want them to be or not.

I don't have to have a state ID, which means that I don't have to have a legal address on file. Yet now, even having a job will mean that the feds will have that information in a central place that other government - and private - entities have access to.

[Barrister]

Meri, you have to provide your address and marital status when you file your taxes.  Hell, you have to file your "marital status" with the state when you get married - after all it is the state which determines whether you are married or not!

"Privacy" has an entirely different connotation when it comes to government.  The government will automatically have access to all kinds of private information about people.  The response is not to limit the government's access to that information, but rather to ensure that there are suitable institutional controls to make sure that private information is not released to anyone who should not get access to it.

[merithyn]

Meri, you have to provide your address and marital status when you file your taxes.  Hell, you have to file your "marital status" with the state when you get married - after all it is the state which determines whether you are married or not!

"Privacy" has an entirely different connotation when it comes to government.  The government will automatically have access to all kinds of private information about people.  The response is not to limit the government's access to that information, but rather to ensure that there are suitable institutional controls to make sure that private information is not released to anyone who should not get access to it.

You don't haveto file txes if you meet the minimum requirements. And marital status is a state thing, not a fed thing, so no, you don't HAVE to supply that info.

But you're right, it's more about making sure there are controls in place. However, if no one knows about this Hub, how are we supposed to guarantee that there are controls in place? That is my point, more than anything.

[CountDeMoney]

Inside The Hub is a list of 50 entities who are required by federal law now to submit ALL of their information to a central database for collection, including, but not limited to, IRS, SSN, Insurance companies, Employers, Banks, etc. By all, I mean your payment receipts from work, your insurance coverage (life, health, auto, etc), any income from other entities other than your employment, where you live, what you drive, etc.

None of which, at first glance, were ever prohibited from having it--or already having it--in the first place.

[Barrister]

But you're right, it's more about making sure there are controls in place. However, if no one knows about this Hub, how are we supposed to guarantee that there are controls in place? That is my point, more than anything.

Well it is a much better point than "but the government has no right to this info".

[merithyn]

But you're right, it's more about making sure there are controls in place. However, if no one knows about this Hub, how are we supposed to guarantee that there are controls in place? That is my point, more than anything.

Well it is a much better point than "but the government has no right to this info".

I'm sorry. Did I say that? I don't remember it if I did.

[merithyn]

Inside The Hub is a list of 50 entities who are required by federal law now to submit ALL of their information to a central database for collection, including, but not limited to, IRS, SSN, Insurance companies, Employers, Banks, etc. By all, I mean your payment receipts from work, your insurance coverage (life, health, auto, etc), any income from other entities other than your employment, where you live, what you drive, etc.

None of which, at first glance, were ever prohibited from having it--or already having it--in the first place.

Insurance coverage - life included - is regularly shared with the fed government? That seems odd.