Patient information is sold, purchased and shared by public and private firms in the big data arena. However, one lapse — like whether a person is deceased or not — can create inaccuracies in thousands of databases, leading to mistaken solicitations.
The LA Times reached out to the Social Security Administration and CMS, and the entities said beneficiaries and potential beneficiaries’ information is not released to marketers.
As for insurers, a UnitedHealthcare spokesperson said their marketing information comes from many public sources, according to the report. A Kaiser Permanente spokesperson said it also uses public sources to buy consumer information.
The data sources, including list owners, glean information from memberships or subscriptions to publications and other firms. Various mailing list brokers like InfoUSA and Dataman touted data of potential Medicare beneficiaries, according to the report.
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