WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 16: Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) stands next to a printed version of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, during a news conference on Capitol Hill May 16, 2013 in Washington, DC. Credit: Getty Images
Fox News host Greta Van Susteren on Tuesday hosted Investor's Business Daily writer John Merline to discuss a potentially disturbing aspect of "Obamacare."
Under the Affordable Care Act, a "big data system" will be created to track millions of Americans' information, including tax and Social Security information, according to Merline.
"Well, the government has to verify all this information because, among other things, they have to make sure you're eligible for insurance in the exchange. But, more importantly, they have to determine whether you're eligible for any of these subsidies," he explained. "So in order to do that, they have to tab into these government databases, the IRS, the Social Security Administration, the Department of Defense, Veterans Administration, even the Peace Corps. This data hub is going to tap into all these different databases in order to verify the information you're providing to the exchange."
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And what sort of data will be "routed through" the Hub? Social Security numbers, income, family size, citizenship and immigration status, incarceration status, and enrollment status in other health plans, according to the HHS.
"The federal government is planning to quietly enact what could be the largest consolidation of personal data in the history of the republic," noted Stephen Parente, a University of Minnesota finance professor.
Not to worry, says the Obama administration. "The hub will not store consumer information, but will securely transmit data between state and federal systems to verify consumer application information," it claimed in an online fact sheet.
Merline also claimed that "lots of people" can access the data that will be compiled in the "Obamacare hub."
"There's a separate thing where the exchanges actually collect and store data on people who have applied," he added. "And there are many people that can access that."
Merline said personal medical information will not be included in the data collection efforts, just enrollment information. However, the exchanges will keep your tax return information, Social Security income information and other income details for 10 years, he said.
Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn.) called the data mining included with Obamacare "pretty scary."
Watch the segment below via Fox News:
[fnvideo content_id= 2507131114001]
(H/T: Fox Nation)
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