Posted on 09/09/2013 9:29:12 AM PDT by Java4Jay
My daughter just called and said her dentist needs my SS# to file a claim. She is 25 and covered under my policy. This seemed very odd so I came to FR for answers.Feedback welcome, thanks.
I have bcbs too and had the same issue with a biology practice. No they do not need a ss# to file a claim.
Ask the person asking you for their SS number first.
The filling out of any medical form, is akin to filling out an IRS form.
Anything that the IRS might ask you, ObamaCare may ask you.
You may be charged with a crime defined in federal statutes or by some federal agency's bureaucrats (whether or not defined in their regulations), for not answering ObamaCare questions and filling out forms truthfully.
"Truth" is effectively defined as what they, the IRS/ObamaCare have on file about you, which is now so much more, "thanks" to the Internet *and your habits online in addition to records of all your transaction activities.*
To wit: your dentist, your doctor, your care giver (who is an employee of a care giving organization) ... are all tantamount to being almost-IRS-agents.
The paperwork problem for you, is so enormous, that you may be directed to an ObamaCare "navigator," who is a government agent.
There is a lot of angst about the government's hiring of people to be "navigator" job applicants - re the government's claim that it does not have the time for background checks of "navigator" job applicants in addition to other issues.
States raise privacy concerns over health law navigators.Also, Justice Department asks court to fix "disparate" civil service exams for minority applicants.
Good luck with that, getting a decent government agent ... and being able to keep that person as your agent?
My guess is, that the Congress - lawyers - know that the bureaucracy of ObamaCare, will be ObamaCare's own un-doing; that ObamaCare will fail by its own weight, helped by THE GENERAL UN-HAPPINESS of the public.
Download [61 page] PDF of "draft [of] HHS application forms to buy health insurance"
Download [21 page] PDF of "the application itself"
My guess continues ... that the Congress will *then* have the will to end ObamaCare, which lack of fortitude *now* inhabits their guts.
Agreed, no matter how much they insist, BCBS can pay the claim just fine. I write “prefer not to give”
In NC anyway, its against state law to require it tho they can ask all they want.
I already have coverage, Obama said I could keep it
As a manager of a dental office, I can state that many dental benefit policies want to require that primary policy SSN# be provided when the dependent to assure coverage is appropriate. This prevents identity theft coverage. I.e., benefits being provided to a dependent who is not a dependent of the primary insured. The benefit provider is SUPPOSED to have generated a new, non-SSN number for this purpose as SSNs are not supposed to be used for ID purposes but many have not done it.
Also, the dentist may be requiring the parent’s SSN (not really allowed) so he may more easily collect a non-paid bill, assuming the parent might be a “responsible party,” which Obama has thrown into a legal limbo with his requirement for policies to cover legal adults until age twenty-six, an absurdity, and using the insurance company as an excuse to get it. You do have the legal right to refuse to provide the SSN for any purpose except a government one.
The dentist does not have to be paid directly by the benefit provider. Your daughter can pay the bill, and you can submit it for reimbursement.
I believe the House nullified the SSN protections a few years ago. Medical offices require them so they can turn you over to collections if you fail to pay up...
UPDATE: Dentist tried to submit claim electronically but it won’t let them without my numbers. Daughter has seen this dentist before with no issues.
My daughter is not my dependent, she is 25.
Unless you have another identification # on your dental policy, yes, he needs it.........
Daughter has her own card with her name and policy numbers on it
Seems like where this is going is the IRS will tax me for services rendered
Then I can't see any reason for the dentist to require YOUR SS#.........I'd personally talk to him about it.
there is no reason to give a ss#.
IOW just say no.
Normally required and legal are 2 different things.
Right on my SS card it states for SS benefits only and not to be used for ID.
By the way dental patients, check your bills carefully. In less that a year I have caught 4 different dentists/billing services charging more than the agreed upon payment for various carriers.
So far I have receive $277 back from one dental scam artist and I have another $250 in the works with the remaining 2 still under investigation.
Here is the scam. The dentist agrees CONTRACTUALLY with your Ins carrier to accept let say $1200 for a procedure.
The dentist will bill the carrier for $1450 (or more) and of course the Ins company will only pay $1200 and they will try to bill you for the rest. If the dentist agreed to accept the Ins. company’s payment as payment in full (that is my Ins. company agreement) then you should owe nothing.
WATCH your bills and I can only assume doctors will do the same.
One dentist tried to say the $207 was a lab charge which never showed up on the bill but that amount was exactly the difference between their original billing and what the Ins company paid. I expect that check in a week.
I just went through this with my doctor’s office. They never asked for it before and all of a sudden they “had to have it”. I did some research on the SS website. No, you do not have to give this number out. Unless you are under a government plan, like Medicare or Medicaid.
I also called my insurance company and they told me that they do NOT need my SS# to pay a claim. I am identified by another number, which is on my insurance card and not my SS#.
So I just politely said no and had no problems.
They would LIKE to have it for bill paying reasons. It makes it easier to find you if you don’t pay your bill. However just because some people are deadbeats is no reason for you to have to expose yourself to fraud. There are a couple of studies out there if you do the research that say a great portion of ID theft is from medical and dental offices.
The law does not require you to provide this to them but they hope that most people will just fill it in.
They could decide that they do not want to provide service to your daughter. Then you can either offer to pay cash or go to another dentist.
“There are a couple of studies out there if you do the research that say a great portion of ID theft is from medical and dental offices.”
I am unaware of these studies . Can you give me a URL? Thanks!
hmmm
Others have suggested false numbers.
Or you can simply refuse and tell them why.
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