Healthcare companies can predict pregnancy, illness—and notify your employer

Big data isn’t inherently scary—it’s all in how it’s used. Unfortunately, where there’s potential for misuse, there are people waiting to take advantage of the wealth of information so easily available to us. A recent discussion in the Wall Street Journal asserts that employers are using big data to anticipate the health care needs of employees. In theory, this allows employers to offer healthcare plans specially tailored to the needs of a company.

But what does it mean in reality?

Based on acquired data, healthcare companies could infer all sorts of things—your probability for a heart attack based on your restaurant choices or the likelihood of an in-range BMI because of a recent treadmill purchase. 

Other inferences imply correlation, and not causation. Voters who participate in midterm elections are typically healthier—but it isn’t because they vote.

To put it simply, it means that someone is paying careful attention to everything you do—what prescriptions you receive, where you shop, and potential risk factors you may have in an attempt to cut your healthcare costs.

But it also means that nothing is private anymore—it isn’t difficult to figure out that a major life change may be on the way if a female employee stops picking up birth control refills. Sound like a futuristic dystopia?  At least one healthcare company is already doing it, going so far as to review insurance claims and monitor in-app search history, comparing data with ages and likelihood of pregnancy.

And then what? 
In a perfect world, nothing. You receive cheaper, more personalized healthcare. But there’s a flip side—you aren’t hired or promoted because your employer receives word that you may be preparing for parenthood.  You don’t receive a salary increase because you’ve been looking into back surgery or are required to go through a number of loopholes (second opinions, additional recommendations).

And, while your health information is typically protected under federal law, self-insured employers operate under different laws. So, is it likely? Probably not—but is it worth the risk?

It depends on who you are
While many people find this use of date completely inappropriate, others are interested in what it might offer them from a health perspective. If, for example, a person doesn’t realize that their weight and eating habits put them at risk for high cholesterol, they might be happy to receive personalized ads or recommendations that bring it up and cause them to do something about the controllable factors or seek help from a medical professional.

Ultimately, it depends on how comfortable you are with companies making predictions based on harvested personal data—are you willing to trust its fair use? Should you not, the WSJ notes that you may legally opt out of the service.

From suggestion to action 
While healthcare companies insist that big data is benevolently used to help potential patients, it may struggle to convert suggestions into action. Even if customers receive specialized recommendations that may improve their health, it can be difficult to get them to act on it—particularly if they feel that their privacy is at stake.

 Source: WSJ