Dive Brief:
- New reports allege that the government's health insurance website, Healthcare.gov, is "quietly sending consumers' personal data" to private companies that specialize in analyzing Internet data for performance and marketing. This data may include age, income, ZIP code, whether a person smokes, and if a person is pregnant. It can include a computer's Internet address, too.
- While there is no evidence of misuse, connections to dozens of third-party tech firms were documented by technology experts who analyzed Healthcare.gov and then confirmed by the Associated Press.
- However, the Obama administration says Healthcare.gov's connections to data firms were intended to help improve the consumer experience, and that outside firms cannot use the data to further their own business interests.
Dive Insight:
The timing on this discovery isn't great, considering President Obama recently rolled out a new initiative to protect personal data online. This is the kind of news that can derail the the administration's goals of having 9 million people sign up for subsidized private coverage by Feb. 15.
While it can't put the cat back in the bag, the Obama administration can still ameliorate the situation by responding to lawmakers' calls for an explanation on how it regulates the data firms that have information access.