Insurance companies know more about consumers than they realize

Considering the length and language used in many terms of use agreements, Americans could be forgiven for not knowing how all of the personal information they share is being used. Not surprisingly, then a recent survey from The Harris Poll, in partnership with MITRE, found just 1 in 10 people think their health insurance provider is tracking their online spending and streaming habits.

Though two-thirds of respondents said it would be “unacceptable” for their health insurer to collect data on their spending or social media habits, in reality, this type of tracking is quite common, according to The Harris Poll. Health insurers and other businesses routinely gather consumer-generated data that can be used to build profiles and predict behaviors and costs, often turning to third-party data brokers.

Related: AHIP president calls for health data privacy rules to apply to tech firms

“These results reinforce that a significant gap exists between what we believe our insurance companies and employers know about us personally, and what they actually do,” said Erin Williams, executive director and division director for Biomedical Innovation at MITRE. “Americans need more education about the ways third parties are accessing and using their consumer-generated data. But it really shows that companies have an obligation to be more transparent about what data they are collecting from third parties.”

Despite this overlooked violation of their privacy, consumers do feel more comfortable sharing relevant personal health information with their insurer (60%) or employer (52%).

The poll also revealed a significant disconnect between consumer attitudes and actions. For example, while 70% felt there was an obligation to share health information that could stop the spread of disease, just 44% would share their own information.

In addition, while consumers often turn to social media platforms to share personal details about their lives or health status, they don’t feel comfortable sharing that information with social media companies themselves. Trust in social media platforms was just 59% among respondents, compared to 86% who said they trusted doctors’ offices and 75% who trust their insurer with their personal health information.

“There are clear gaps in attitudes towards, and understanding of, lifestyle data privacy and its use by industry,” said Rob Jekielek, managing director at The Harris Poll. “This trend is also particularly noteworthy when looking at differences based on ethnicity, where the research shows 10% to 20% gaps between white, Black, and Hispanic Americans.”

Read more:

• A message to brokers and benefits leaders: Time to up your data game
• How personal will Facebook’s health app get?
• Fed’s interoperability rules will put patients’ medical records on smartphones