Huckleberries Online

Give Me Your Number or Else

Posted by Cindy

May 28, 2009 12:48 p.m. • 17 comments

When Aram Langhans asked the Yakima Heart Center to remove his Social Security number from their files, his request had unexpected consequences: http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2009/may/27/patient-denied-treatment-over-social-security/

When was the last time you were asked for your SS number? Have you ever refused the request?

17 comments on this post so far. Add yours!

Kibby on May 28 at 9:17 a.m.
Good for the Langhans for sticking to your guns on this one!! I too do not give out my number unless it’s required for a credit check or employment purposes. I’ve had to wrangle with more than one admittance person on this issue, but I’ve never been denied service.
toadman on May 28 at 9:59 a.m.
I use my SS number all the time. You know why? Because I don’t care. If someone steals my identity, they’ll be sadly disappointed. Besides, if they steal my identity, maybe I can go get a new one.

The person in this article should have given their number to the emergency room…is it really worth your life, to withhold your SS number? Really? I think you should choose your battles wisely. Choosing to withhold this number during a possible heart attack is.. well… in my opinion… just stupid.
Cis on May 28 at 10:05 a.m.
Toadman, I think it was for a test, not ER…but yes, chose your battles…. if it is an emergency, I might give credence. But for normal things. No way… I put in n/a every time and let them explain to me, why they have to have it. Surprisingly most of the time they never ask for it.
Cindy_H on May 28 at 10:09 a.m.
Wasn’t an emergency Toad. And they had all his insurance info.
toadman on May 28 at 10:21 a.m.
I still think withholding it is paranoid and silly…but hey, that’s just me.
Cabbage Boy on May 28 at 10:42 a.m.
But Toad, based on your political views, you favor being know as a number, correct?

:)

I refuse quite often. So many places have no business using it. They just are taking the easy route and if they aren’t interested in security, then I don’t want them having my number.
Bent on May 28 at 11:11 a.m.
I don’t worry about it either. I have identity theft insurance for my whole family. It’s a small amount to pay for piece of mind. There are so many clever ways someone can steal your identity, and it’s almost impossible to prevent if someone knows what they are doing and they are determined to get it.

Digging in on something like this just appears silly to me…
toadman on May 28 at 12:20 p.m.
“But Toad, based on your political views, you favor being know as a number, correct?”

HA! Yeah.. sure.

The truth of the matter is, Cabbage, it really just doesn’t matter to me. It just doesn’t seem that important. I freely give my ss number to the people who need it…it just makes the process faster. To me, the number is meaningless anyway. I know who I am, even if, to them, I’m a number. I see not giving it to medical professionals as needlessly obstructive and paranoid…almost rude.

I realize, I say all this, but don’t give my own name out on this blog. Seem strange? I’m cautious, not paranoid. If giving my number to the person behind the counter means it makes whatever it is I’m trying to do easier, then I don’t care, I give it freely.

Life’s too short to be bellyaching about your precious personal privacy. Life’s too short to be bitching or complaining about any of this stuff, frankly. It just causes unrest in your soul. Besides, if someone steals your identity, maybe they needed it more than you anyway. Let it go.
Me on May 28 at 12:41 p.m.
Toad - just last year my bank account was depleted of around $800 in a single weekend. It took me about 3 weeks to get it back. The nightmares some people have gone through being hounded to pay bills that they NEVER incurred are out there and are scary. Would you want to be dealing with debtors, the police, etc if your credit identity were stolen?
toadman on May 28 at 12:47 p.m.
“Would you want to be dealing with debtors, the police, etc if your credit identity were stolen?”

Already dealt with that stuff, and my identity hasn’t even been stolen yet…also…there’s that word again…”scary.”

Fear is everywhere. Fear takes your happy and eats it alive. Don’t let it. Fear is supposed to be a warning, not a way of life.

Still, I do feel for people who’ve gone through problems…I’m not insensitive. I just don’t see how it can be avoided, really. It’s the cost of living in a free and open society, right?
Bent on May 28 at 1:11 p.m.
With my insurance they will replace any money up to a $1 million stolen from my accounts, and they will assign an advocate to deal with everything… clearing up credit, dealing with police, etc.
Kibby on May 28 at 2:11 p.m.
This is not really realated to the whole SS# issue, but I just got done reading a story about a woman in Texax who had to take down the American flag she had hanging in her office during Memorial day. Here’s the link….if I do it correctly.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,522659,00.html

IMHO…she should not have had to take it down.
Stickman on May 28 at 2:58 p.m.
I have to side with Toad here, and I liked what he said about fear taking your happy.
Cis on May 28 at 3:21 p.m.
kibby that was on Channel 4 last night as the sound off question. I agree…she should be able to leave it up until her son, daughter, and husband comes back from Iraq and Afghanistan. And if the co worker doesn’t like looking at it… he/she can look the other way. I can’t imagine not liking to look at our flag…
Ravenlady on May 28 at 3:38 p.m.
Well some people are afraid of losing their identity, then there are those on Facebook that put their exact birthdate on it with month, day and year. To me, that is just giving yourself away to smart thieves. Oh well. I like Toad’s assessment that it is just fear that drives most people.

Hey, just noticed at the bottom of this page, an ad to find social security numbers? Was that a mistake?
Me on May 28 at 3:53 p.m.
sighhh … I don’t live in fear. I do say its scary, but I don’t mean that so literally that I’m in a cave with the lights off. If I have a deal with a Dr. that I’m paying cash before I leave there is no good reason for my SS # to be given - that’s just common sense to me, and I’m not hiding in my house being fearful.

I remember in Montana when I got my Drivers license the number used was your SS# - times have changed.
Stickman on May 28 at 6:19 p.m.
Me: I also remember in Idaho when they used your SS number for your drivers license number. Times have definitely changed, and I think like Toad said that fear drives a lot of what we do these days. I liked his comments because I have nothing to steal, hence my calmness to this issue.

« Back to Huckleberries Online

You must be logged in to post comments.
Please create a profile or log in here.

About this blog

D.F. Oliveria is a columnist and blogger for The Spokesman-Review. Huckleberries Online was judged the best 2008 Idaho newspaper blog by the Idaho Press Club. And the best 2007 news blog in the Pacific Northwest by the Society for Professional Journalist. Print Huckleberries is a past winner of the Herb Caen Memorial Column contest by the National Association of Newspaper Columnists. The Readership Institute of Northwestern University cited this blog as a good example of online community journalism.