Schaar criticizes data collection anger of the health insurance companies

Federal Data Protection Commissioner criticizes data collection of health insurance companies

09/10/2012

The Federal Data Protection Commissioner Peter Schaar has massively criticized the current practice of health insurance companies to collect data from insured persons receiving sick pay. Here you go „consciously trying to undermine the privacy mechanisms that we have“, Schaar told the broadcaster „NDR info“.

In the so-called self-information questionnaires, some health insurance funds also ask questions about the family environment, vacation plans or the relationship between the insured and the employer, reports the Federal Data Protection Commissioner. Schaar expressed considerable doubts as to the legality of such a survey of the insured persons unable to work on their illness and their personal situation. „We have a number of complaints against various funds“, said the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information.

Inadmissible questioning of the insured
A comprehensive survey of the insured persons, as soon as they receive sickness benefit, is in the estimation of the Federal Data Protection Commissioner extremely critically. This may be done only in case of doubts about the inability to work and must be on „hard facts“ Respectively. According to this, the self-information forms would only contain questions such as „Is incapacitated for work?“, „How long is she??“, „Can be foreseen when she is finished?“ allowed Schaar explained in conversation with the „NDR info“.

Health insurance funds leverage the data protection mechanisms
According to the Federal Data Protection Commissioner, the health insurance companies are well aware of their legally questionable behavior. In most cases, they would withdraw the questionnaires if the insured asked for the legal basis for collecting the data or seeking consumer protection support. „I can not imagine that the funds involved here can seriously claim that they are within legal limits“, stressed Schaar. „From the coffers I demand that they abide by the law“, so the Federal Data Protection Commissioner. (Fp)

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Image: Gerd Altmann / Laptop: metalmarious