| Welcome to Blue Shield of California's website, and thank you for your interest. This website is owned and operated by Blue Shield of California and its subsidiary Blue Shield of California Life & Health Insurance Company (which this Internet Privacy Policy will refer to collectively as "Blue Shield"). We at Blue Shield respect your privacy, and this Internet Privacy Policy explains the ways in which we may collect, use, and disclose personal information from visitors to our websites, and explains the options that you have regarding such use and disclosure. |
| |
| This Internet Privacy Policy applies to our publicly available website, www.blueshieldca.com, including any subsites and any password protected sections of those websites. For convenience, we will refer to all of these sites in this Internet Privacy Policy as the “Blue Shield Sites”. |
| |
| This Internet Privacy Policy is also incorporated into the Terms of Use for the Blue Shield Sites. By accessing or using the Blue Shield Sites, you agree to accept those Terms of Use. By using the Blue Shield Sites, you acknowledge and agree that we may change this Internet Privacy Policy at any time and without prior notice as our online services and Blue Shield Sites change. Changes to this Internet Privacy Policy will be posted on www.blueshieldca.com/privacy and we suggest you check there periodically for any updates that may be posted. |
| |
| Please note that the Blue Shield Sites contain links to other websites. This Internet Privacy Policy does not apply to the practices of sites other than the Blue Shield Sites, and we suggest you review the privacy polices associated with those sites and contact the owners of those sites if you have questions regarding their information practices. |
 |
| What Information We Collect |
| The Blue Shield Sites may collect both personally identifiable information and non-personally identifiable (or 'aggregated') information. |
| |
|
|
"Personally Identifiable Information" (or "PII") is that information which can be used to identify you as an individual or to contact you. A few examples of when and why Blue Shield would collect PII on the Blue Shield Sites include:
- Health plan members who register on the www.blueshieldca.com site may be asked for their name, date of birth, Blue Shield member identification number and email address.
- Providers (hospitals, doctors and other health care professionals who provide health services to our members) may be asked to provide their name, address, telephone number, email address, tax identification number, or other information about themselves or their company.
- Individuals requesting information from Blue Shield may also be asked for their name, date of birth, email address or mailing address to allow us to fulfill their request.
- Producers who register on the www.blueshieldca.com site may be asked for their name, email address or Blue Shield producer identification number.
|
|
|
"Aggregated Information" may include non-personally identifiable information such as the IP (Internet Protocol) address, browser type, and operating system of visitors to the site, pages viewed on the Blue Shield Sites, or search terms entered. |
|
| |
| Like many sites on the Internet, the Blue Shield Sites may also use "cookies" to collect information. A "cookie" is a small data file that is transferred to your computer and stored there through your Internet browser software. Cookies allow for users to view pages without having to log in repeatedly throughout a session, and can be used to track Aggregated Information. Where a visitor has logged into a password protected portion of the Blue Shield Sites, the cookie may also contain a user ID number, and in some cases that user ID number may be a Blue Shield member or provider identification number. |
| |
| On some pages of the Blue Shield Sites, we may also use action tags, sometimes referred to as web beacons or 1x1 pixel GIFs. We use these tags to monitor and assess the effectiveness of promotions and marketing. For example, if a web page on the Blue Shield Sites contains a link offering more information on a promotion for members who register online, we may include a tag on that page and the corresponding page to track how many users requested more information or signed up for the promotion. These tags work in combination with cookies, but do not collect or contain any PII. |
|
| Return to top |
|
| Personal and Health Information |
| In some places on the Blue Shield Sites, you may submit personal and health information. For example, prospective members and members may provide personal and health information in online applications submitted through the Blue Shield Sites for health plan or insurance products, and providers may submit medical treatment or claims information pertaining to members in some places on the Blue Shield Sites. Our collection, use and disclosure of such personal and health information is governed by federal and state laws to protect your privacy, and Blue Shield's practices with respect to such personal and health information is set forth in our "Notice of Confidentiality and Privacy Practices". In the event of any conflict between this Internet Privacy Policy and the Notice of Confidentiality and Privacy Practices, the Notice of Confidentiality and Privacy Practices shall govern. |
|
| Return to top |
|
| How We Use the Information We Collect |
| We use the PII you provide to us on the Blue Shield Sites to facilitate services or functions you may be logging on to the Blue Shield Sites to use. For example, we may use producer, member, or provider email addresses or mailing addresses to send newsletters, updates or other information relating to our health plans and insurance products. Additionally, some information we collect via online applications for health plans or insurance products may be used in the evaluation of your application, the underwriting of a health policy or the verification of claim eligibility. |
| |
| Some portions of the Blue Shield Sites may allow you to purchase specific products or pay for products or services electronically. Where we collect credit card or other electronic payment information, such information will be used to process the payment, and will be used in accordance with the security measures described below. |
| |
| Any PII that you provide through the Blue Shield Sites may be combined with information collected offline. For example, where a member, provider or producer has provided initial information via paper correspondence or applications, that information may be combined with your online accounts (including the PII you submitted online) when you register. In some instances we may also combine your PII with information we receive from other sources. |
| |
| We use Aggregated Information to assist in providing online features and functionality. We also use such information to track website usage, and to assist us in maintaining and improving the Blue Shield Sites. |
|
| Return to top |
|
| Disclosure of Information |
| We may share your PII or Aggregated Information with our affiliated companies. For example, members of a Blue Shield of California health plan can purchase insurance products from Blue Shield of California Life & Health Insurance Company, and those entities may share information to provide you with combined information and easy access to both. |
| |
| In order to provide you with quality service, we may also share your PII or Aggregated Information with vendors who assist in maintaining and improving the Blue Shield Sites, or who assist us in providing related services. For example, we may share your PII or Aggregated Information with vendors who assist us with our Healthy Lifestyle Rewards program in order to provide you with benefits that you can earn through the program. We may also share your PII or Aggregated Information with third party web consultants and vendors that provide services in support of the Blue Shield Sites. |
| |
| In some circumstances, Blue Shield may be required by law to share your PII or Aggregated Information with third parties, law enforcement or other governmental entities. We also reserve the right to share your PII or Aggregated Information as needed, in our judgment, to protect Blue Shield, its affiliates or employees, from loss or liability. In the event that Blue Shield was to merge with or be acquired by another company, the new company may retain and use the information you have provided us as described in this Internet Privacy Policy. |
|
| Return to top |
|
| Choice and Making Changes |
| The Blue Shield Sites provide various ways in which you may exercise choice as to how, and the extent to which, we may use your PII. For example, some information requested may be noted as optional for you to provide. While providing us with the requested information will enable us to better serve you, we respect your choice to not provide certain information. |
| |
| When you register as a member on the Blue Shield Sites, we will also provide you with the opportunity to specify whether you wish to receive certain types of information such as newsletters or promotional materials. Certain electronic communications may also separately include the opportunity for you to opt out of similar communications in the future. Please note that we reserve the right to send members, providers and producers certain information as required by law, or important information that relates to their primary relationship with us. |
| |
| Members, providers and producers may also access and edit their registration information by using profile management tools available after they log in to the relevant Blue Shield Sites. Because Aggregated Information is not retained by us in a manner that identifies you as an individual, it may not be viewed or changed by you. |
|
| Return to top |
|
| Security |
| We have implemented and maintain physical, administrative and electronic security measures with regard to the Blue Shield Sites that are designed to safeguard your information from improper access or use. For example, when collecting, using or transmitting sensitive electronic information such as credit card information, we encrypt the transmission using SSL ("Secure Sockets Layer") or other similar technology. We also maintain physically secured locations for server operations, use technological safeguards such as firewalls, password protection, and encryption, and limit access to sensitive information to those individuals with a legitimate business need to access such information. |
| |
| We ask that you assist us in maintaining the safety and security of the Blue Shield Sites. We suggest that you use passwords that are not easily guessed by others, and that include at least 8 characters, include both letters, numbers, special characters, and mix uppercase with lowercase text. We also recommend you safeguard your password to prevent unwanted disclosure. |
|
| Return to top |
|
| Contact Us |
| Blue Shield respects your privacy, and wants you to feel comfortable with how your information is protected. Should you have questions or concerns about the privacy of your information, or if you have any information regarding the unauthorized use of the Blue Shield Sites, we encourage you to contact our Privacy Office at: |
| |
Blue Shield of California
Attn: Privacy Office
P.O. Box 272540
Chico, CA 95927-2540 |
| |
Telephone: (800) 266-8080
Fax: (800) 201-9020
Email: info@healthinsurance-apply.com |
|
| Last updated: November 15, 2007 |
