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Surprise: California Hires Convicted Felons to Administer Obamacare
Townhall ^ | January 29, 2014 | Guy Benson

Posted on 01/30/2014 12:19:22 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet

You may recall when Kathleen Sebelius said this, under questioning from Texas Senator John Cornyn:

(VIDEO-AT-LINK)

Cornyn: “Isn’t it true that there is no federal requirement for navigators to undergo a criminal background check, even though they will receive sensitive, personal information from individuals they help to sign up for the Affordable Care Act?”

Sebelius: “That is true. States could add an additional background check and other features but it is not part of the federal requirement.”

Cornyn: “So a convicted felon could be a navigator and could acquire sensitive personal information from an individual, unbeknownst to them?”

Sebelius: “That is possible.”

I give you California:

At least 43 convicted criminals are working as Obamacare navigators in California, including three individuals with records of significant financial crimes. Although some of the offenses are decades old, and although convicted criminals account for only 1 percent of the 3,729 certified enrollment counselors in the state, Californians still have good cause to be concerned about their privacy. Even a single crooked navigator could do significant harm to the public. That’s because when navigators sign consumers up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, they have access to lots of private information, including Social Security numbers, home addresses, and financial data — basically, everything on the wish list of identity thieves and fraudsters. Navigators also are likely to work with a population that is more vulnerable than average.

More details:

Limited statistics released by Covered California — the state’s new health-insurance exchange — showed that one navigator has repeat forgery offenses — one in 1982, then another in 1994, with a burglary in between. Another had two forgery convictions in 1988, in addition to a domestic-violence charge a decade later. Another committed welfare fraud in 1999 and had shoplifted on at least two prior occasions. Since 2000, individuals now working as navigators have committed crimes including child abuse, battery, petty theft, and evading a police officer. At least seven navigators have multiple convictions. The information released covered only certified enrollment counselors, one of the three types of navigators working in California.

National Review notes that ex-convicts securing jobs and providing for themselves is generally an unequivocally positive development -- but given the sensitive nature of this particular line of work, shouldn't former felons be excluded from the applicant pool? According to this report, "California’s Republican lawmakers unsuccessfully requested that Covered California establish a policy forbidding anyone with a prior conviction, regardless of the date, to work as a navigator." The reporter also points out another irony in all of this:

In December, Covered California wrote me a letter explaining why it could not release the public records I had requested about its navigators’ criminal histories, offering statistics as a compromise. It cited “deliberative process privilege,” and it also claimed that releasing the records would violate the privacy of the navigators. (Odd, isn’t it?, that the criminal navigators’ privacy rights are apparently valued more than consumers’ privacy rights).

The state previously resisted attempts to ascertain this information using the following reasoning: “Disclosing the names and criminal records of individuals applying to assist in Covered California’s push to enroll vast numbers in health insurance by March 31, 2014, is likely to discourage participation in this critical program and thus harm the people of California.” In other words, if the public knew about navigators' criminal records, they might be less inclined to sign up, thus endangering "this critical program." Obamacare's critics have already seized on major data security vulnerabilities that threaten consumers' personal data on Healthcare.gov. Revelations about navigators with criminal records will only serve to deepen people's skepticism about the program. A recent Fox News poll revealed that a strong majority of Americans aren't confident that Obamacare's logistical apparatus and personnel will keep users' sensitive information private.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Government; US: California
KEYWORDS: abortion; california; deathpanels; identitytheft; navigators; obamacare; zerocare

1 posted on 01/30/2014 12:19:22 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

That’s okay: Obamacare was passed by unconvicted crooks....


2 posted on 01/30/2014 12:31:07 AM PST by Tzimisce
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To: Tzimisce
Looks like some of Holders people are happy navigators (HPN).....

HPN....OK whitey....lets check your voter registrations ....

HPN....Looks like you need to make a couple of adjustments here....

OK now I see it......your colonoscopy is scheduled for next month.....and the insulin will be mailed as before...

HPN Thinks...."this desk job sure beats stealing cell phones and a once a year gig patrolling voting booths with my billy club."

(He also got the message about hiding the screen image of his laptop)

3 posted on 01/30/2014 12:43:27 AM PST by spokeshave (OMG.......Schadenfreude overload is not covered under Obamacare :-()
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
a convicted felon could be a navigator and could acquire sensitive personal information from an individual, unbeknownst to them?”

I am so cynical of the rats, that I think they may have done this on purpose, just to F over people.

4 posted on 01/30/2014 1:57:12 AM PST by Mark17 (Chicago Blackhawks: Stanley Cup champions 2010, 2013. Vietnam Vet 70-71 Msgt US Air Force, retired)
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To: Mark17

“I am so cynical of the rats, that I think they may have done this on purpose, just to F over people. “

A liberal VP at my Fortune 500 employer looked like she was having an orgasm at the prospect she could force the company to give first priority to hiring former convicts. Forcing you to do something stupid for those poor needy people when she is not herself at risk is a real power trip. When I questioned her she said that they’d paid their dues and deserved a break. I said, what about the guy who has kept his nose clean, worked hard and needs a job? Doesn’t he deserve a break too? (That upset her.)


5 posted on 01/30/2014 3:46:23 AM PST by Gen.Blather
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To: Gen.Blather
(That upset her.)F all those liberal POSs.
6 posted on 01/30/2014 3:55:43 AM PST by Mark17 (Chicago Blackhawks: Stanley Cup champions 2010, 2013. Vietnam Vet 70-71 Msgt US Air Force, retired)
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To: Gen.Blather

“A liberal VP at my Fortune 500 employer looked like she was having an orgasm at the prospect she could force the company to give first priority to hiring former convicts.”

Maybe she’ll be victimized by one of the convicts; may give her a new perspective...


7 posted on 01/30/2014 4:05:57 AM PST by kearnyirish2 (Affirmative action is economic war against white males (and therefore white families).)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
These jerks have zero credibility... it's laughable how little confidence any intelligent person could have in them.

I remember the picture of Nixon with the line ‘Would you buy a used car from this guy?’

Well... With THESE creeps we are being coerced (not asked) to hand over our money, our well-being and our very futures to THEM and THEY have NO demonstrated competence OR credibility....NONE!!!!

8 posted on 01/30/2014 4:42:22 AM PST by SMARTY ("When you blame others, you give up your power to change." Robert Anthony)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Hello, IDENTITY THEFT! I knew you could spell it, now sign up, fools.


9 posted on 01/30/2014 5:14:12 AM PST by MasterGunner01
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

The entire Target financial security problem was caused by a 17 year old.

The entire Obamacare problem is being caused by a 51 year old with the attitude of a 17 year old.


10 posted on 01/30/2014 5:29:38 AM PST by ridesthemiles
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