Hr Benifits for Spouse and SSN

[baron555 934]

Because I was waiting until after the certified marriage certificate came so I can get it in her name. Only a few more days. I am still skeptical.

Well then stick to your plan; I purchased separate Immigrant insurance for this exact issue and didn't have a concern.

Also she kept her name due to the trouble to get her Russian passports changed; the name is not a big deal to us but may be to others.

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

My wife and step daughter were on my medical plan well before they had social security numbers. TRICARE (Humana) used the A number from the VISA in lieu of SSN.

Heck, they have been here 18 months now, my wife has had two surgeries, and we just last month got around to providing the SSN to TRICARE.

And BS it was. We talked to BCBS this morning and although they would like it, it is not a legal requirement. She was added today. I did not think legally they could mandate that. That would mean there law superseded federal law. That is not going to happen.

[Deputy Purple 1,294]

And BS it was. We talked to BCBS this morning and although they would like it, it is not a legal requirement. She was added today. I did not think legally they could mandate that. That would mean there law superseded federal law. That is not going to happen.

And there we have it...

Glad you took the advice to contact BC/BS directly. Here it is 2 years later and I can't say I remember providing Anna or Gabby's SSNs to them.

I'm really surprised at how often we see this issue. I'd say it's just a common as the belief that you must have a SSN to get a bank account (or be added to existing accounts).

At the end of the day there is only one Federally mandated use of your SSN that is for Taxes (including Social Security & Medicare), anyone who claims that a private company is required to use your SSN for anything isn't being truthful.

[JustJanis 2]

I just tried to sign my spouse up for insurance benefits. We don't have the SSN yet. I was told by my HR manager that Blue Cross requires a SSN to sign up for insurance. I know this is BS. Any law to back this up ?

I was added to my husband's insurance as soon as we were married - his HR person said they could use all 9's for a social security number until mine arrived - which it just did yesterday. I waited to apply until I received a copy of our marriage licence so it could be issued in my new name instead of having to apply for a name change after the fact.

Now I need to figure out how to change my name on my Canadian Passport (and VISA) as well as changing the expiry date of my current I-94. Any suggestions would be great.

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

There are lots of federal and state laws that mandate collection of Social Security numbers, but few of them require someone to have a Social Security number before the requested service can be provided. For example, some states require that you provide your Social Security number when get a marriage license, but they don't require you to have a Social Security number to provide to them. If you don't have one then you simply don't provide it.

It wasn't always this way, hence the reason a K1 can get an SSN during the time their I-94 is valid. However, the Supreme Court stepped in years ago and determined that the Social Security number was never intended to be equivalent to a mandatory federal identification number. It was intended to be used for tracking payments of Social Security taxes and eligibility for Social Security benefits. So, while a public or private entity other than IRS and SSA can require collection of the number if you have one (with the corresponding privacy act statement), they can't actually require you to have a number to collect.

Now I need to figure out how to change my name on my Canadian Passport (and VISA) as well as changing the expiry date of my current I-94. Any suggestions would be great.

Changing your name on your passport requires obtaining a new passport from the Canadian government. You cannot change your name on your visa, and you cannot change the expiration date on your I-94.

[Joandjo 20]

Yes it is bullshit...

My wife (Anna), Gabby and Carlo all have been added to my insurance before they even entered the US so of course they didn't have SSNs at the time! Want to guess the name of my Insurance Provider? It's Blue Cross/Blue Shield!

According to my Primary Care Physician and two of the specialists I see all they need to cross link my medical records with the hospital's network is my name & date of birth. Ironically that's about all I'm ever asked for in addition to my current address when I pick-up scripts or call any doctor to set an appointment...

I'm glad someone called that one. I agree it's ridiculous. Children are added without SSAN. I added my spouse. HIPPAA is enforced by the office for civil rights.

[Joandjo 20]

And BS it was. We talked to BCBS this morning and although they would like it, it is not a legal requirement. She was added today. I did not think legally they could mandate that. That would mean there law superseded federal law. That is not going to happen.

[Deputy Purple 1,294]

However, the Supreme Court stepped in years ago and determined that the Social Security number was never intended to be equivalent to a mandatory federal identification number. It was intended to be used for tracking payments of Social Security taxes and eligibility for Social Security benefits. So, while a public or private entity other than IRS and SSA can require collection of the number if you have one (with the corresponding privacy act statement), they can't actually require you to have a number to collect.

I remember when that happened, I lived in Georgia at the time and they used to use your SSN as your State ID/Driver's License Number but had to change that after the ruling.

[Sunny123 44]

yeah I had the same issue I also have BCBS. Called and spoke with our medical insurance and they faxed me some form to fill out stating why he didn't have a social security number filled it our sent it back. We have insurance no worries!

[Gosia & Tito 199]

And there we have it...

Glad you took the advice to contact BC/BS directly. Here it is 2 years later and I can't say I remember providing Anna or Gabby's SSNs to them.

I'm really surprised at how often we see this issue. I'd say it's just a common as the belief that you must have a SSN to get a bank account (or be added to existing accounts).

At the end of the day there is only one Federally mandated use of your SSN that is for Taxes (including Social Security & Medicare), anyone who claims that a private company is required to use your SSN for anything isn't being truthful.

The reason insurance companies, banks, etc insist on the SSN is because they need a unique identifier fo the person and rather than working one out, they piggyback on the SSN because it is almost unique to a person (almost because some people use one that is not theirs for example) and since there is the assumption that "everyone" has one; which of course does not account for new people coming into the country; and on top, is an efficient and cheap way to cross reference across organizations. For what matters, the A number could work same and in fact, I'd say that in most cases, if you give them that, no one (or very few) will ever know it is not (SS numbers have a pattern and if you know enough you can tell with some certainty and without checking it up, whether a number is valid or not). Because of privacy and security concerns, while internally, their systems use the SSN, externally they created an id number (which you would see in your insurance card, student id).

[Krikit 1,164]

Moving from K-1 Process to General Immigration Discussion. Glad you got this resolved, OP.

[david'sgirl 134]

The SS is NOT required for health insurance. In fact since HIPAA was enacted anyone can opt for an alternative ID. You cannot be compelled to use your social and most plans would prefer you didn't for confidentiality.

How do I know this? I am an RN working in health insurance.

I also know from experience because I added my spouse just after we wed in July 2009 and he did not get to move here until Feb 2010.

It sounds like your HR person needs to be educated as things may have changed since he/she began that job.