I thought Democratic political consultant Bob Brigham had an interesting response to the call by over a dozen Attorneys General to call for background checks on the community organizer groups granted millions in taxpayer dollars to become “Obamacare Navigators” (language warning):
Holy shit! Montana AG @timcfox wants to fingerprint everyone who works at @PPAdvocatesMT?????? https://t.co/Gf8q4QjSxn #WarOnWomen #MTpol
— Bob Brigham (@BobBrigham) August 16, 2013
Even if this were some new policy, would you want folks handling your tax records, private health records, and more to be background checked? It’s an interesting debate.
But the real story here appears to be the fact that the call by Montana Attorney General Tim Fox and others is nothing new. In fact, it appears, according to this report in The Hill, that it is actually already policy by the federal government to conduct background checks on folks serving in these positions. What is actually happening is that the federal government, so far behind with Obamacare implementation, appears to be waiving this requirement in the name of Obamacare. Waiving this requirement for Obamacare navigators like Planned Parenthood would be like the Bush Administration waiving background check requirements for Halliburton.
Furthermore, it appears the Montana State Legislature also passed a law requiring background checks for Obamacare navigators.
First this, from The Hill:
(Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi) Bondi said that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is making it easier for someone to be hired as a so-called navigator, cutting back on background checks and eliminating a fingerprinting requirement, which could make it easier for a person’s private information to fall into the wrong hands.
“Because of time constraints, HHS [is] cutting back on the requirement to become a navigator, meaning they’re not going to be doing background checks. They’re not going to be fingerprinting these people,” said Bondi in an interview with Fox.
Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/317513-state-attorneys-general-raise-privacy-concerns-over-obamacare-navigators#ixzz2ccBGBW6V
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When it comes to state law, Lee Newspapers had this:
Montana Attorney General Tim Fox and 12 other Republican attorneys general are raising concerns about the security of personal data when people are assisted in signing up for subsidized health policies under “Obamacare” this fall.
The Montana Legislature this year also passed a law requiring navigators to undergo training, become certified by the state and undergo criminal background checks.
When asked whether Fox thought the state law created adequate protections, Fox spokesman John Barnes said the federal government “bears the ultimate responsibility for protecting consumer privacy in Montana’s insurance exchange.”
Al Smith
Thursday, August 22, 2013 7:55 PM
….”Fox spokesman John Barnes said the federal government “bears the ultimate responsibility for protecting consumer privacy in Montana’s insurance exchange.”
What? Yee-gads! That statement is more scary than an Obama third term!