Social Security numbers were first issued in 1935 by the Social Security Administration for the purpose to track individuals and activity within the Social Security system. Our social security numbers were not originally designed to be used for identification purposes but as time has gone on, the numbers are used along with other information to validate a persons identity outside of the social security system.
The recent major health care breaches (Anthem followed by the Premera) are good examples of why we must all be cautious about providing social security numbers. These breaches involved the loss of social security numbers as well as other personal information. It makes me wonder why they are asking for this information in the first place.
Are consumers required to provide a social security number when visiting a medical professional? The answer is no, according to very old article on NBC news (source: http://www.nbcnews.com/id/12137393/ns/business-consumer_news/t/who-can-ask-your-social-security-number/#.ToKEfdTa9Bk). The exception is when your health care provider is Medicare, Medicaid or the Military.
There are conflicting reports that providers might be required to have your SSN on file. I'm not sure I"m buying it though. I believe it is prudent that you do NOT provide your SSN to any health provider as long as you have have insurance.
Let's face it, there are lots of ways to get another person's social security number. The easiest way is to pay for it from Internet providers that sell you that information for a fee. Another way is in the trash. It's amazing how many people throw away sensitive information. Finally, some people steal sensitive information from the people they work with.
How can you protect yourself? Every state in the US allows consumers to freeze their credit through the 3 credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax and TransUnion). Reference this site to review the legislation for your state. It's important for consumers to know that freezing your credit will definitely cause delays in obtaining new credit. Another option is to pay for a service (much like we all pay for car insurance) to protect our identity. This isn't foolproof, as you will be notified after someone has your information. The service can't prevent someone from using your information, they simply help you clean up after it's detected. Your best bet is to freeze your credit and protect the information you use to open your credit temporarily.
The bottom line is that we all must be very careful about who we provide our social security number. I'm in the just say "no" camp.
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