# "I'd like to buy these breath mints" "Sure I'll just need your SSN and DOB..." **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 7, 2012, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-like-to-buy-these-breath-mints-sure-ill-just-need-your-ssn-and-dob/633997 "2012-09-07T15:18:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2012, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-like-to-buy-these-breath-mints-sure-ill-just-need-your-ssn-and-dob/633997/21 "2012-09-08T03:02:17Z")
> [@oreally](#): > > No. HIV/AIDS is no longer a “gay disease” FYI You are incredibly misinformed. [The CDC on the issue](http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/factsheets/us.htm). Take a look at that graph. The two really tall bars are “Men who have sex with Men”. So is the next bar. > [@CDC](#): > > CDC estimates that MSM account for just 2% of the U.S. population, but accounted for 61% of all new HIV infections in 2009. 2% of the population. 61% of new cases. FWIW, when I was recently under the care of a doctor and being tested for an as-yet-unknown ailment (which luckily turned out not to be an STD, or anything else serious), the doctor did not ask me if I was gay. He asked me: “When you have sex, do you have sex with women, with men, or with both?” ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2012, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-like-to-buy-these-breath-mints-sure-ill-just-need-your-ssn-and-dob/633997/22 "2012-09-08T04:45:47Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > Take a look at that graph. The two really tall bars are “Men who have sex with Men”. So is the next bar. > > 2% of the population. 61% of new cases. > > FWIW, when I was recently under the care of a doctor and being tested for an as-yet-unknown ailment (which luckily turned out not to be an STD, or anything else serious), the doctor did not ask me if I was gay. He asked me: “When you have sex, do you have sex with women, with men, or with both?” That is what matters from the public health point of view: not self-identified orientation, but behavior. A number of those those MSMs will insist they’re straight. Probably those ones are more at risk than openly gay-identified men. ---
**Author:** ![oreally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7ab992/32.png) [@oreally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oreally)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-like-to-buy-these-breath-mints-sure-ill-just-need-your-ssn-and-dob/633997/23 "2012-09-09T04:54:00Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > You are incredibly misinformed. [The CDC on the issue](http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/factsheets/us.htm). > > Take a look at that graph. The two really tall bars are “Men who have sex with Men”. So is the next bar. > > 2% of the population. 61% of new cases. And-? I didn’t say “MSMs” weren’t more at risk. Only that HIV/AIDS is not simply a “gay disease.” From your link: “Heterosexuals accounted for 27% of estimated new HIV infections in 2009…” A minority of the cases for sure, but a significant number. It still doesn’t justify, IMO, my Dr asking my sexual preference. I should have said “I’ll tell you if you tell me yours.” 🙂 > [@](#): > > FWIW, when I was recently under the care of a doctor and being tested for an as-yet-unknown ailment (which luckily turned out not to be an STD, or anything else serious), the doctor did not ask me if I was gay. He asked me: “When you have sex, do you have sex with women, with men, or with both?” Oh yes that’s SO different from asking if you’re “LBGT” (or “MSM” or whatever other trendy little acronyms are out there now) :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-like-to-buy-these-breath-mints-sure-ill-just-need-your-ssn-and-dob/633997/24 "2012-09-09T05:12:10Z")
Apart from the medical stuff, part of why you’re having to fork over your SSN more often is that they’re using your credit report for damn near everything these days. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-like-to-buy-these-breath-mints-sure-ill-just-need-your-ssn-and-dob/633997/25 "2012-09-09T05:47:38Z")
Since you are concerned about your health privacy, you should familiarize yourself with the [HIPAA Privacy law](http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/index.html). ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-like-to-buy-these-breath-mints-sure-ill-just-need-your-ssn-and-dob/633997/26 "2012-09-09T21:06:23Z")
Funny that people are so paranoid sharing something as basic as their D.O.B. with their doctor but will spill their guts with every little bit of info about their life to some unregulated website like Facebook. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-like-to-buy-these-breath-mints-sure-ill-just-need-your-ssn-and-dob/633997/27 "2012-09-10T21:46:00Z")
> [@oreally](#): > > And-? I didn’t say “MSMs” weren’t more at risk. Only that HIV/AIDS is not simply a “gay disease.” From your link: “Heterosexuals accounted for 27% of estimated new HIV infections in 2009…” A minority of the cases for sure, but a significant number. > It still doesn’t justify, IMO, my Dr asking my sexual preference. I should have said “I’ll tell you if you tell me yours.” 🙂 It sounds like we agree on the facts, but we disagree on something else. I’m not sure what that something else is, but I made a guess below. If I’m wrong, I’d appreciate you explaining your position. I’m not trying to put words in your mouth. Just making a guess. We agree that knowing what gender people have sex with is relevant to the likelihood of certain diseases. To me, that’s sufficient for it to be a question a doctor asks. When you come in sick, they have to start somewhere. And the somewhere they start should be the most likely cause. For a given set of symptoms, “most likely cause” can change depending on who you have sex with. There are also probably some different Therefore, it’s medically relevant. It sounds like you object to it on privacy grounds. But we give up a lot of privacy with our doctors. Mine get to see me naked, take my bodily fluids, and ask me about the color and consistency of my shit. Those seem more private to me than what sort of genitals my sexual partners have, though I can see how others might disagree. That said, it’s still medically relevant. And, since I’m guessing that there aren’t a lot of people who only have sex with people of the opposite gender who are shy about letting that be known, it’s _extra_ important that the doctor know if you have sex with the same gender. The difference between “gay men” and “men who have sex with men” is an interesting sociological quirk, and probably means that the doctor shouldn’t ask for your orientation, they should ask for your sexual practices. But I’m guessing it took a while for the medical field to realize that there were substantial numbers of men who have sex with men but would answer “hetero” to the sexual orientation question, and the forms are either out of date, or composed by someone who thinks “there are men who have sex with other men but don’t answer ‘homosexual’ or ‘bisexual’?!”. Obviously, diseases don’t care much about your self-identified sexual orientation. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-like-to-buy-these-breath-mints-sure-ill-just-need-your-ssn-and-dob/633997/28 "2012-09-10T22:52:51Z")
The latest patient survey at the clinic I go to has questions that are strictly about behavior: “For each of these actions, mark when and how much you use condoms/dental dams/female prophylactics with ‘Always’, ‘Frequently’, ‘Seldom’, ‘Never’, or ‘Does not apply’: When my mouth is on someone’s mouth When someone’s vagina is in my mouth When someone’s penis is in my mouth When my vagina is in someone’s mouth When my penis is in someone’s mouth When someone’s penis is in my vagina When my penis is in someone’s vagina When someone’s penis is in my butt When my penis is in someone’s butt” etc. Anyway, those are all I can remember. I just glanced at it but didn’t take a copy. Most of it was inapplicable for me (anything with the word “penis” in any configuration). Yep, they printed it with the word “butt.” The prudish might recoil at the graphic language used, but you have to admit it aims directly at the data needed for public health studies, and leaves out all the ambiguity of self-identified identities. As the UUs say: “Deeds, not creeds.” This is the most practical survey ever designed. As long as people don’t freak out about filling it out. ---
**Author:** ![Brynda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Brynda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynda)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-like-to-buy-these-breath-mints-sure-ill-just-need-your-ssn-and-dob/633997/29 "2012-09-10T23:01:42Z")
I file with insurance companies to get paid for my services. The forms require your name, insurance ID, address, DOB, date seen, place seen, and diagnosis. If you are not the subscriber, I am also required to give the name and DOB of the insurance subscriber, and your relationship to that person. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-like-to-buy-these-breath-mints-sure-ill-just-need-your-ssn-and-dob/633997/30 "2012-09-11T00:24:46Z")
Because insurance fraud is now rampant, many health care providers will ask for a license along with health insurance card. I don’t mind because they don’t make a photocopy, they’re just checking to see 1) the little brown girl in the picture and IRL match and 2) the names on both cards match. I hate the “creep up” in places like Supercuts. First _and_ last name? You’re cutting my hair, not getting a stool sample. I always beg off with “oh, my last name is 16 letters long :)” and I’ve never been pushed for it. > [@Johanna](#): > > That is what matters from the public health point of view: not self-identified orientation, but behavior. A number of those those MSMs will insist they’re straight. Probably those ones are more at risk than openly gay-identified men. This gives me chills. What a terrible thing to deny to a health care provider. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-like-to-buy-these-breath-mints-sure-ill-just-need-your-ssn-and-dob/633997/31 "2012-09-11T00:36:50Z")
When they ask me for personal stuff, I just give a wave of my hand and say “You don’t need to know my social security number.” And their eyes just sort of glaze over and they carry on. It works the same with forms except you don’t do the hand-wave, you just “forget” to fill it out. If they want my personal shit, a person needs to look me in the eye and tell me why. I’m not spilling my guts to a lady who says “ahem” and slides me a stack of forms. ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-like-to-buy-these-breath-mints-sure-ill-just-need-your-ssn-and-dob/633997/32 "2012-09-11T00:59:10Z")
Another issue where sexual orientation is relevant is birth control. If you’re a male who only has sex with men, discussing birth control is usually a waste of time. Ditto for a woman who only has sex with women. Reproductive health is a big part of overall health. As far as SSN, DOB and other info goes, what has been said above as well as protection against medical insurance fraud. Believe me, as someone who has had her billfold stolen, that BC/BS card had monetary value on the black market just like my driver’s license and other cards. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-like-to-buy-these-breath-mints-sure-ill-just-need-your-ssn-and-dob/633997/33 "2012-09-11T02:27:43Z")
the only time I was truly miffed was when I cut myself with a wood chisel and needed about 5 stitches. Had to go to urgent care because it was after hours. The doctor asked me what happened. “I cut myself”. “on what”. “A tool”. “What kind of tool”. rrrrrrrrrrrrrr. A Craftsman half inch straight edged wood working chisel. If I had an upholstery needle I would have walked out and stitched it up myself. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-like-to-buy-these-breath-mints-sure-ill-just-need-your-ssn-and-dob/633997/34 "2012-09-11T02:46:02Z")
On my first visit to my current GP, he was getting a general history. He said, “Now let’s talk about drugs”. He wanted to know what, if any, I was using recreationally, I guess. I leaned forward and said, “Let’s not beat around the bush. Just tell me what you’re looking for and I’ll see what I can do”. It broke he ice. ---
**Author:** ![VernWinterbottom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c67d28/32.png) [@VernWinterbottom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VernWinterbottom)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-like-to-buy-these-breath-mints-sure-ill-just-need-your-ssn-and-dob/633997/35 "2012-09-11T13:23:40Z")
In my town there are three people with my exact name and a couple with very similar names. I’m GLAD they ask my date of birth to confirm they are looking at the correct medical chart. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-like-to-buy-these-breath-mints-sure-ill-just-need-your-ssn-and-dob/633997/36 "2012-09-12T08:58:26Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > the only time I was truly miffed was when I cut myself with a wood chisel and needed about 5 stitches. Had to go to urgent care because it was after hours. The doctor asked me what happened. “I cut myself”. “on what”. “A tool”. “What kind of tool”. rrrrrrrrrrrrrr. A Craftsman half inch straight edged wood working chisel. > > If I had an upholstery needle I would have walked out and stitched it up myself. That reminds me of Buddha’s [parable of the arrow](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parable_of_the_arrow). One takeaway from it is: don’t let a search for trivial data distract from emergency medical care. ---
**Author:** ![AndyLee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@AndyLee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndyLee)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-like-to-buy-these-breath-mints-sure-ill-just-need-your-ssn-and-dob/633997/37 "2012-09-12T17:25:13Z")
It may be relivent for diagnosis. I was listening to an old timey radio show the other day, it was a detective, I think it was Mrs North Show, but the bad guy goes to a doctor after getting shot and the doctor won’t treat him till he tells him his names. The doc says he has to report it to the police. Now I know that is fiction but it shows laws like disclosure are quite old. We had a case of Lassa Fever not far where I live in Chicago. A black man died in a hospital while they were trying to figure it out. Even I have heard of Lassa Fever (along with othe “Super Bugs” like Marburg and Ebola0 and this was a black guy who spoke with an accent. Yet no one bothered to ask him if he was from around Chicago or had been out of the country. He had just gotten back from Ghana (his home country) the week before. If someone had just said, “I notice you have an accent, have you been out of the country,” it would’ve at least gave them a clue when he said, he had recently been to Africa. But eveyone is so afraid of racial profiling no one asked him and he didn’t say or couldn’t and neither did his family. And it wasn’t like he was here illegally or anything. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-like-to-buy-these-breath-mints-sure-ill-just-need-your-ssn-and-dob/633997.md?page=1)