The simplest answer to this question is NO.  According to Privacy Rights Clearinghouse you need to know the following:

Insurance companies. MediCal and Medicare are government health plans and can require a Social Security number. Most insurers providing individual health insurance policies cannot require your Social Security number. However, they might refuse to issue a policy if you don’t provide your Social Security number.

A new Mandatory Insurer Reporting Law (Section 111 of Public Law 110-173) requires group health plan insurers to report SSNs in order for Medicare to coordinate payments with other insurance benefits. The law was enacted in late 2007 but became effective on January 1, 2009. As a subscriber (or spouse or family member of a subscriber) to a group health plan arrangement, your SSN will likely be requested in order to meet the requirements of this law if this information is not already on file with your insurer. Similarly, individuals who receive ongoing reimbursement for medical care through no-fault insurance or workers’ compensation or who receive a settlement, judgment or award from liability insurance (including self-insurance), no-fault insurance, or workers’ compensation will be asked to furnish information concerning their SSN.

For more information about this law see:

• http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MandatoryInsRep/

Originally posted 2010-03-31 05:48:14. Republished by Blog Post Promoter