Obamacare and Identity Theft

Now that we’re all about finished with leftover turkey sandwiches from Thanksgiving, and all of the exciting football games of last weekend are behind us – (and now that my computer has a new motherboard so I can write again) – I want to share with you an aspect about Obamacare that hasn’t received enough attention from the mainstream media.

That aspect is the very real and serious threat of identity theft.

As regular readers of Self-Reliance Institute (formerly the Patriot Privacy & Security Society) advisories know, I have been an information security consultant for many years.

Within that broad category, my specialty is identity theft and specifically the methods used by identity thieves to breach public and private databases containing the personal and private information of Americans.

So I perked up when I saw a blog post about Obamacare and identity theft on one of my favorite blogs.

The blog is called “International Liberty: Restraining Government in America and Around the World.” The blog is the brainchild and domain of Dan Mitchell of the Cato Institute.

I’ve long been an admirer of Mitchell’s work and he was a frequent guest on my former radio shows in Maryland and Colorado. In August 2012, at the Steamboat Institute’s annual Freedom Conference, I had the privilege of moderating a debate between Mitchell and Professor William Black of the University of Missouri – Kansas City. The debate concerned the economic woes of the United States and was titled: “Our Economic Roadmap – Which Direction Shall We Take?”

That’s a long way of saying, I read Mitchell regularly and I often find myself agreeing with his point of view.

The specific blog post that caught my eye is titled: “Thanks to Obamacare and the IRS, You’re at Risk of Having Your Identity Stolen and Your Bank Account Emptied.”

Here’s how Mitchell starts the post:

“There are many reasons I don’t like Obamacare, including its punitive impact on taxpayers and the way it takes our healthcare system even further from a market-based approach.

“But now I’m increasingly worried Obamacare also is creating a playground for hackers and identity thieves – and the rest of us will be the victims.

“Simply stated, the results probably won’t be very pretty when you mix together these two items. 1) Typical government incompetence. 2) Massive data collection by government.”

Mitchell than links to a YouTube video of an interview he did with Neil Cavuto on the Fox Business Network. I highly recommend watching the video which can be found in the center of the blog post located –> here.

While you can – and should – read Mitchell’s entire take, here’s his conclusion about how insecure Obamacare is:

“Heck, you may as well put all your credit card info on your Facebook page.

“More seriously, any sensible person will stay far away from Obamacare. Though if you don’t sign up on an Obamacare exchange, the White House wants you to get fined. So you lose no matter what.”

So here are my questions for you:

Do you trust the Obama administration – or any presidential administration of any political party – to safeguard your personal and private medical and financial information?

Do you think Obamacare is secure?

Or, do you think it increases the likelihood of you and/or your family becoming victims of identity theft?

Let me know your thoughts by emailing me at [email protected]

Be safe and secure,

Rob Douglas