Obamacare Marketplace Caught in Mega Scandal
California’s state-run marketplace for Obamacare has been caught sending users’ personal health information to LinkedIn.
Covered California, the website where consumers can shop for an enroll in Obamacare health insurance plans, had a website where customers were asked about whether they were blind, pregnant, or had been using a high number of prescription medications, according to CalMatters. Data from that website was reportedly shared with LinkedIn for advertising.
“Kelly Donohue, a spokesperson for the agency, confirmed that data was sent to LinkedIn as part of an advertising campaign,” the outlet explained, adding: “Visitors who filled out health information on the site may have had their data tracked for more than a year, according to Donohue.”
Electronic Privacy Information Center senior counsel Sara Geoghegan called out the story, calling it “concerning and invasive” and noting that it was “wholly irrelevant” for LinkedIn to have that information.
“People don’t expect that their health information will be collected and used in this way,” she added.
CalMatters also noted in their reporting that “LinkedIn is already facing multiple proposed class-action lawsuits related to the collection of medical information, adding: “In October, three new lawsuits in California courts alleged that LinkedIn violated users’ privacy by collecting information on medical appointment sites, including for a fertility clinic.”
Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA), who previously ran an unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign, also highlighted this news in a post on X, calling it “incredibly disturbing.”
Kiley also noted that he has asked Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to “investigate for HIPAA violations.”
Meanwhile, Covered California has acknowledged the issue.
“Covered California has identified that some sensitive data was inadvertently collected by the tags, including first names, the last four digits of Social Security numbers, and other sensitive health information like pregnancy status. To our knowledge, access to this data was limited to Covered California credentialed users for the limited purpose of managing Covered California’s account,” the agency wrote in a press release.
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