http://www.democraticunderground.org/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x4654611Oh my.
The Idiot Briggs primitive.
I never cared much for the Idiot Briggs primitive, but after I found out that LibraryLady at our old home "felt sorry" for the Idiot Briggs primitive, well, that's when I started to mildly dislike LibraryLady too.
IdaBriggs (1000+ posts) Mon Dec-15-08 08:36 AM
Original message
My husband just got asked to provide birth certificates & marriage licenses to verify eligibility for our health insurance through his work.
I don't know why this is bugging me, but it seems like a great set-up for identity theft to have such important documentation in my husband's personnel file.
FYI, we've been married for 13 years, the twins will be 2 in November, and neither of us has *EVER* been asked for such a thing in over 20 years of business.
ON EDIT -- They can see a COPY of these documents, but there is NO WAY I want them to have 'paper' copies of these things. The more I think about it, the more flabbergasted I am at the audacity of such a thing -- our marriage license has 'mother's maiden name' information, and birth certificates -- WTF???
Mhegwood3 (174 posts) Mon Dec-15-08 08:45 AM
Response to Original message
4. That is standard where I work
It is an Blue Cross Blue Shield thing (or so I am told)
Gilligan (1000+ posts) Mon Dec-15-08 08:51 AM
Response to Reply #4
7. B.S. (Not you, what you have heard.)
We have BS/BC and no one asked to see anything like a Marriage license - I needed my marriage license to get my social security card changed from my maiden name to the married name though.
When we got married, I was added to the insurance at my husbands work - after a year or two I asked to go to BS/BC since it covered more for all of us - there are 4 of us here.
I think the company in the Original Post has been scammed and they are sick of it.
And here's somebody we haven't seen for a while:
liberalhistorian (1000+ posts) Mon Dec-15-08 11:59 AM
Response to Reply #7
21. My husband's last job (the one he just lost) used the Blues and, when we got married last fall, we had to give them a copy of our marriage certificate to prove that I was eligible on his policy. We didn't have to ever give birth certificates, though. I've never been asked for a BC for work my whole adult life. Most people don't even have their BC or even a copy of it in their files. I know I'd have to go back to my Ohio county of birth for mine. And how would you prove conclusively that a BC is yours, anyway?????
M0rpheus (214 posts) Mon Dec-15-08 12:56 PM
Response to Reply #21
28. Birth Certificates are usually for dependent children.
Not for adults.
Additional documentation may be required in the case of adoption or guardianship.
Marriage certificate is required for the dependent spouse.
Freddie Stubbs (1000+ posts) Mon Dec-15-08 08:50 AM
Response to Reply #5
6. They do not want to pay for the health care of people who are not married to their employees and kids who are not the children of their employees.
psychmommy (1000+ posts) Mon Dec-15-08 10:33 AM
Response to Original message
14. one of my co-workers got caught saying his wifey was his wife.
everything was good until they broke up. he wanted her off of the insurance but could provide no divorce decree. she being angry as heck was more than willing to spill the story about them not being married. he has lost his job and they both have to pay back 10s of thousands of dollars in insurance coverage. he will never be able to hold any state job. i don't know if criminal charges were filed. it is because of crap like this that folks are gonna have to pony up proof.
suston96 (1000+ posts) Mon Dec-15-08 11:18 AM
Response to Original message
16. I believe that birth and marriage records are public records available to - uh, the public......
M0rpheus (214 posts) Mon Dec-15-08 02:54 PM
Response to Reply #29
33. I agree with you, hence my question.
With the mistakes the insurance companies make on a regular basis (which I deal with regularly), I wouldn't bet my coverage on them getting it right the first time. In my experience, Common sense and insurance rarely go together, as far as I'm concerned.
As far as divulging information to unauthorized parties. Your insurance company already has your SSN's, DOB's, your children's names and information on whatever ailments you've filed claims for over whatever time period.
If it's individual coverage, you provided them with all that information. If it's employee coverage, then your employer has given them all of that information, as you provided it to them.
If you're worried about ID theft from that angle, they already have all the information to do it without the additional documentation. And, by participating in the plan, you've already given your authorization, by their estimation.
I'm just telling you how it works from the Benefits Administrator perspective. Not how it "should" be.
The operating one tells off the Idiot Briggs primitive, and good for him:
OPERATIONMINDCRIME (1000+ posts) Mon Dec-15-08 12:21 PM
Response to Original message
24. I Fail To See What Can Possibly Be So Outrageous About Needing A Birth Ceritificate And Marriage certificate for family insurance. Both are public docs and both are pretty directly related to what you're getting. Why they're asking for them now I don't know, but it's still perfectly benign and nothing worthy of outrage.
The operating one tells off the Idiot Briggs primitive again, and good for him:
OPERATIONMINDCRIME (1000+ posts) Mon Dec-15-08 12:50 PM
Response to Reply #25
27. It's An Official Document And It Seems To Be A Perfectly Reasonable Request To Ask For Such As It relates to insurance.
Some people just pick apart and complain about friggin everything.
gravity (1000+ posts) Mon Dec-15-08 06:09 PM
Response to Original message
46. It prevents you from giving free insurance to a friend.
Those documents are reasonable to asks for family insurance policy.
Juniperx (1000+ posts) Mon Dec-15-08 06:11 PM
Response to Original message
47. That has been fairly standard for years Due to insurance fraud.
Here comes the usual disruptor:
bobbolink (1000+ posts) Mon Dec-15-08 08:16 PM
Response to Original message
53. If you're poor, you have to submit those things just to get subsidized housing.
Never mind the cost of providing a certified birth certificate for every damned agency that wants one!
But, if you're poor, you have no choice.
At least it sounds like you have a choice... we comply or else.
And thus killed the bonfire.
