Privacy Policy & Notice of Privacy Practices
Effective Date: August 4, 2026
Last Updated: August 4, 2026
This Privacy Policy describes how Alcorn & Associates (“Agency,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, protects, and discloses Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and Protected Health Information (PHI) under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and applicable state privacy laws.
1. Scope and Commitment
Our agency operates as a licensed health insurance brokerage/agency assisting individual clients in evaluating, applying for, and enrolling in health insurance coverage. We are committed to maintaining the strict confidentiality and security of all personal and medical information entrusted to us.
2. Information We Collect
To assist you with health insurance quotes, eligibility determinations, application submissions, and policy maintenance, we may collect the following types of information:
Personally Identifiable Information (PII)
• Identity Data: Full legal name, date of birth, Social Security Number (SSN), taxpayer identification number, driver’s license number, and marital status.
• Contact Data: Residential address, mailing address, email address, and telephone numbers.
• Financial Data: Income details, household size, employer information, and payment details (for premium processing.)
Protected Health Information (PHI)
Under HIPAA, PHI includes individually identifiable health details created, received, or maintained by or on behalf of a covered entity or business associate. This includes:
• Medical history, preexisting conditions, current medications, and tobacco/substance use status.
• Information provided on health insurance applications, medical questionnaires, or open enrollment forms.
• Summary health and enrollment data required for insurance carrier enrollment or plan placement.
3. Strict Limitation on Sharing and Disclosure
Express Restriction: Insurance Companies & Enrollment Purpose Only
Your PII and PHI are disclosed exclusively to authorized health insurance carriers and state or county health agencies (such as NY EPIC or county office for social services) for the sole purpose of quoting, applying for, underwriting, enrolling, and servicing your health insurance coverage.
We do not and will not:
• Sell, rent, lease, trade, or monetize your PII, PHI, or contact details to third parties, data brokers, or marketing firms under any circumstances.
• Share your health or personal information with unauthorized third parties for non-enrollment purposes.
• Disclose your PHI without your express authorization, except as required for policy enrollment, payment processing, or administrative health operations permitted by law.
Permitted Business Disclosures
Disclosures of your information are strictly limited to the following operational scenarios:
i. Insurance Carriers & Issuers: Transmitting your application data to insurance carriers you select, allowing them to evaluate eligibility, process enrollment, issue policies, and manage claims.
ii. State or County Health Agencies: Submitting required data to state or county offices to confirm program eligibility and finalize enrollment.
iii. Business Associates & Vendors: Highly restricted service providers (e.g., secure electronic signature platforms, CRM software vendors) bound by legally enforceable agreements that mandate equal or higher standards of HIPAA compliance and security.
iv. Legal & Regulatory Obligations: Disclosures required by federal or state law, court orders, or subpoenas.
4. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect solely for the following legitimate business functions:
• Evaluating your coverage needs and generating health insurance quotes.
• Assisting you in completing official enrollment applications.
• Verifying eligibility for financial assistance or special enrollment periods.
• Communicating with you regarding application status, policy renewals, or coverage changes.
• Fulfilling compliance and record-keeping mandates required by insurance carriers, state departments of insurance and federal regulators.
5. Information Safeguards and Security
We maintain comprehensive physical, administrative, and technical safeguards in compliance with HIPAA Security Standards to prevent unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction of your PII and PHI:
• Access Control: Access to PHI and PII is restricted strictly to authorized agency personnel on a role-based, need-to-know basis.
• Workplace Security: Physical files containing sensitive data are locked in secure areas, and staff undergo mandatory HIPAA privacy and security training.
6. Your HIPAA Privacy Rights
Under federal privacy regulations, you hold specific rights regarding your Protected Health Information:
• Right to Inspect and Copy: You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of your records maintained by our agency.
• Right to Request Restrictions: You may request that we restrict how your information is used or disclosed, though we are not required to agree to restrictions that prevent us from completing required enrollment services.
• Right to Amend: You may request corrections to your information if you believe records maintained by us are inaccurate or incomplete.
• Right to an Accounting of Disclosures: You may request a list of certain disclosures we have made of your PHI outside of routine enrollment, payment, or operational uses.
7. Data Retention
We retain PII and PHI only for as long as necessary to fulfill the enrollment and servicing purposes outlined in this policy, or as mandated by insurance carriers, state insurance department regulations and federal record-keeping standards. Once the retention period expires, records are securely shredded or permanently deleted using HIPAA-compliant sanitization methods.
8. Privacy Policy Updates
We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time. Any material changes regarding how we handle PII or PHI will be posted on this page with an updated “Last Updated” date.
9. Contact & Complaint Procedure
If you have questions about this policy, wish to exercise your rights, or believe your privacy rights have been violated, please contact our Privacy Officer:
Alcorn & Associates
Attention: Privacy Officer / Compliance Department
Address: 1179 Hedgewood Lane, Niskayuna, NY 12309
Phone: 518-346-2115
Email: [email protected]
You also have the right to file a formal complaint with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights. We will not retaliate against you for filing a privacy complaint.
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