Kabuki and the Navigators

The best part about the shutdown kabuki, at least for the current presidential administration and its enablers everywhere, is that it tends to take the joy of Obamacare off the front pages, at least temporarily. It's a lot more fun to bash hapless John Boehner than it is to contemplate some of the unpleasantness that's already underway:

A congressional report titled “Risks of Fraud and Misinformation with ObamaCare Outreach Campaign: How Navigator and Assister Program Mismanagement Endangers Consumers” examines testimony from officials responsible for implementing the program.

Among its conclusions, “the main concern for consumers is the heightened risk of identity theft and financial loss from a poorly managed outreach campaign.”

The state of Illinois has tried to put extra safeguards in place for its navigator program. Illinois requires navigators to pass a background check to get a state navigator license, although this is not in federal requirements. The state also passed laws allowing the Department of Insurance to revoke navigator licenses in cases of misconduct.

However, navigator training lasts only three days, and much of it is spent completing a 20-hour online course. Concern centers on how adequately they are prepared to handle personal information.

Did you catch that? Do you suppose that an identity thief is especially concerned if the Illinois Department of Insurance revokes a "navigator license?" An enterprising identity thief could make off with a lot of money before the bureaucracy catches up.

The idea that hundreds of millions of people would have to go through websites and other means and surrender personal data, and that the process would go smoothly, has always been a fantasy. There is always a bit of larceny in the human heart and the potential honey pot that Obamacare is filling will attract a lot of people who'd like some easy money. And of course, the requirements for becoming a navigator are going to be lax, because the need for navigators is so great:

In August, the attorneys general of 13 states signed a letter listing their concerns about consumer privacy protection in connection with the navigator program. The letter highlights a risk of inadequate training for navigators and fewer consumer protections than is provided in the market—particularly regarding who is liable if information is stolen.

The letter states that the navigator program’s requirements are “less demanding than many federal privacy requirements, such as those applicable to federal census workers … without more protections, this is a privacy disaster waiting to happen.”

Do you expect more protections? Good luck with that. And if you say, well, that's Illinois, nothing like that could happen here in Minnesota, well, that's not exactly true, either.

Meanwhile, just so you know, the information you do provide could be getting shared. Consider this language from the State of Maryland:

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.

Emphasis mine. Your information is safe, but if Lois Lerner or Eric Holder needs it, they'll have it.

Remember -- pour your wrath on John Boehner. It'll make you feel a whole lot better.