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Comment by OptionOfT | Hacker News Reader

There is a doctor I visit and they have one of those kiosks that make me do shadow work, you know, checking me in, the work of a receptionist.

It used to prompt for SSN. I would enter a bunch of zeroes. Now there is a button that says 'I don't want to give it'.

And then the next screen prompts you for the last 4 digits of your SSN, stating that insurance companies need it.

No. You already have a scan of my ID and insurance card. You don't need more.

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I once insisted with an optometrist that they only take my insurance number and not my SSN. They contacted my insurance and the insurance sent them my SSN.

I can't avoid medical insurance having my SSN because of tax reporting requirements.

Actually you can. Just don't give them your SSN. I did this with Kaiser Permanente and it continues to work just fine.

> They contacted my insurance and the insurance sent them my SSN

If all you're doing is making them get the information from someone else, what exactly are you accomplishing? Adding a bit of friction to a process?

I mean, fine, if that's the aim, but it sounds like this was intended as more of a “they don't need this information at all, and if you don't give it to them, then they won't have it” technique, and (apparently) that doesn't work.

I told them they shouldn't give the insurance company their SSN.

There is no "someone else" who will give the insurer this information.

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