(Washington, DC) Health & Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told a Senate Finance committee today while testifying on the troubled Healthcare.gov rollout that Obamacare Navigators with felonies could have access to personal information.
Senator John Cornyn (R-TX): “So I want to ask you about the navigators. The president is in Dallas, Texas today, touting the navigator program, which, as you know, are people who are hired to help people navigate the Affordable Care Act. But I would just like to ask you this question, if you would answer it. Isn’t it true that there is no federal requirement for navigators to undergo a criminal background check, even though they will receive personal, sensitive personal, information from the individuals they help to sign-up for the Affordable Care Act?”
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius: “That is true. States could add an additional background checks and other features, but it is not part of the federal requirement.”
Cornyn: “So a convicted felon could be a navigator and could acquire sensitive personal information from an individual unbeknownst to them?”
Sebelius: “That is possible. We have contracts with the organizations and they have taken the responsibility to screen their navigators and make sure they are sufficiently trained to do the job.”
Update: State Representative Dawn Pettengill informed me that in Iowa the Obamacare Navigators must be licensed and screened.
