Did CA give LinkedIn your health data?

[quaint]

Dear CalMatters reader,

If you’re someone who has gotten health insurance from the insurance exchange site Covered California in the past year, your personal health information may have made its way over to LinkedIn. Since February 2024, as visitors filled out forms to apply for health insurance, trackers were sending LinkedIn sensitive health data about whether people said they were blind, pregnant, transgender or possible victims of domestic abuse. Our story is raising questions for some lawmakers, including U.S. Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA), who is now calling for an investigation into potential HIPAA violations. It has also sparked a proposed class action lawsuit against LinkedIn and Google

“We’re talking about a really important government service that affects millions of people in California,” said Colin Lecher, one of the reporters behind the story. “No one who was trying to fill out a form to get health insurance would have anticipated the information going to LinkedIn.”

Anna Almendrala
WeeklyMatters author

Emphasis is mine.

[Silent Type]

1. You can bet they'll blame it on Newsome, Biden, even Obama since it's related to ACA.

[Earl_from_PA]

3. CA has had a Democratic governor since Arnold,

And a Democratic super majority in both chambers for 7 years. The issue is not who gets blamed, but how did this happen, and what will be done to prevent it from continuing/happening again.

[Silent Type]

5. Definitely the real issue. Who'll get blamed is different.

According to Newsweek the Republican Kevin Kiley is asking for an investigation:

“California Representative Kevin Kiley, on X: "California's Obamacare website tracked users' personal health information—such as pregnancy and prescription drug use—and sent it to LinkedIn for a 'marketing campaign.' We are asking Secretary Kennedy to investigate for HIPAA violations."

“Representative Kiley said in a letter sent to Kennedy and shared with Newsweek: "Every American should have confidence that their personal health information (PHI) is private. That is why the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) was enacted, to make sure PHI was not given away without a patient's consent. Unfortunately, a forensic investigation into Covered California, a California state government entity that operates the state's Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchange, was found to have transmitted PHI to LinkedIn."

“What Happens Next
The Department of Health and Human Services has not yet responded publicly to Kiley's call for an investigation.”

[quaint]

7. Truth. Same-o question: who benefited

[dickthegrouch]

2. FYI LinkedIn is a subsidiary of Microsoft

Since 2016 when MSFT purchased them for a reported $26.2B

Still surprised????

[quaint]

4. Hmmm, thanks. I did not know that.

Nothing surprises me these days.

[Auggie]

6. WTF? WTF? WTF?

Everything is for sale in this country