1. What personally identifiable information BENEFIT CHOICES, INC. collects on this site.
    
2. What personally identifiable information third parties collect through the Web site.
    
3. What organization collects the information.
    
4. How BENEFIT CHOICES, INC. uses the information.
    
5. With whom BENEFIT CHOICES, INC. may share user information.
    
6. What choices are available to users regarding collection, use and distribution of the information.
    
7. What types of security procedures are in place to protect the loss, misuse or alteration of information under BENEFIT CHOICES, INC. control.
    
8. How users can correct any inaccuracies in the information.

If users have questions or concerns regarding this statement, they should contact the Webmaster.

Information Collection & Use

Registration
Benefit Choices, Inc. does not require registration in order to use our Web sites.

Request For Quote
We request information to fulfill requests for quotes on benefits.  A user must download our "Request For Quote" Adobe PDF file to complete the form.  The user must provide contact information (such as company name and address, contact names and addresses, email.), employee census information (employee names, birth dates, social security numbers, and in some cases also salaries, residential zip codes, and job titles) and financial information (such as unemployment tax statements and current carrier billing statements). This information is used for quoting purposes, to fill customer’s requests, and ultimately to enroll a client in a benefit plan. The information is also used to contact the user about their request.  None of the information gathered by us for processing a quote request can be provided by the user directly through these Web sites.  Information must be provided via file attachment to an email from a user's email client or via fax or postal mail.  

Claim Research Request
We request information to fulfill requests for claims research.  The user must provide contact information (such as name, address, phone number and-- optionally-- email address.), claim information (patient name, birth date, insurance id, medical service provider, date of service, Explanation of Benefits, and other information or documentation that will assist in the resolution of a claim research request.), and financial information (amount of bill and how the claim was paid). This information is used to ensure proper processing of an insurance claim. The information is also used to contact the user and authorized third parties about their request.  None of the information gathered by us for processing a claim research request can be provided by the user directly through these Web sites.  Information must be provided via  email from a user's email client or via fax or postal mail.

Information Use
Information provided by users is solely used to provide our services according to their directions.  None of the information we use to provide our services to users is gathered on these Web sites.

Profile
We store information that we collect through cookies, log files, clear gifs, and/or third parties as described below, but we do not create a profile of our individual users. A profile is stored information that is kept on individual users that details their viewing preferences. Collected information on these Web sites is not tied to the users personally identifiable information to provide offers and improve the content of the site for the user. No profile is used to tailor a user’s visit to our Web site, and to direct pertinent marketing promotions to them. We do not share collected information with other third parties.

Cookies
Benefit Choices, Inc. does not currently use cookies in any way.  Some of our business partners use cookies on our site (for example, advertisers). However, we have no access to or control over these cookies, once we have given permission for them to set cookies for advertising.

Log Files
Like most standard Web site servers we use log files. This includes internet protocol (IP) addresses, browser type, internet service provider (ISP), referring/exit pages, platform type, date/time stamp, and number of clicks to analyze trends, administer the site, track user’s movement in the aggregate, and gather broad demographic information for aggregate use. IP addresses, etc. are not linked to personally identifiable information.

Clear Gifs (Web Beacons/Web Bugs)
We do not employ, but our business associates may employ a software technology called clear gifs (a.k.a. Web Beacons/Web Bugs), that help them better manage content on our site by informing us what content is effective. Clear gifs are tiny graphics with a unique identifier, similar in function to cookies, and are used to track the online movements of Web users. The main difference between the two is that clear gifs are invisible on the page and are much smaller, about the size of the period at the end of this sentence.

Clear Gifs can "work with" existing cookies on a computer if they are both from the same Web site or advertising company. That means, for example, that if a person visited "www.companyX.com", which uses an advertising company's clear gif, the Web site [or advertising company] would match the clear gif's identifier and the advertising company's cookie ID number, to show the past online behavior for that computer. This collected information would then be given to the advertising company.

In addition, we use clear gifs in our HTML-based emails to let us know which emails have been opened by the recipients. This allows us to gauge the effectiveness of certain communications and the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns. If users would like to opt-out of these emails, please see the Opt-out section.

Newsletter
We do not currently have an elctronically transmitted newsletter. 

Service Announcements
On rare occasions it is necessary to send out a strictly service related announcement. For instance, if our service is temporarily suspended for maintenance we might send users an email. Generally, users may not opt-out of these communications, though they can deactivate their account. However, these communications are not promotional in nature.

Customer Service
We communicate with users on a regular basis to provide requested services and in regards to issues relating to their account we reply via email or phone, in accordance with the users wishes.

Aggregate Information (non-personally identifiable)
We do not currently share aggregated demographic information with our partners and advertisers.

Third Party Advertisers
This Web site does not use Third Party Advertisers.

We DO NOT Share Personal Information with Third Parties through this Web site.

Third Party Intermediaries
We use the United States Postal Service for mailings.

Service Providers
We partner with other third parties (Insurance Carriers, Financial Institutions, a third party account billing company) to provide specific services. When the user signs up for these particular services, we share names, or other contact information  that is necessary for the third party to provide these services. These third parties are not allowed to use personally identifiable information except for the purpose of providing these services.  None of the information is transmitted through this Web site.

Business Transitions
In the event BENEFIT CHOICES, INC goes through a business transition, such as a merger, being acquired by another company, or selling a portion of its assets, users’ personal information will, in most instances, be part of the assets transferred. Users will be notified  prior to a change of ownership or control of their personal information. If as a result of the business transition, the users’ personally identifiable information will be used in a manner different from that stated at the time of collection they will be given choice consistent with our notification of changes section.

Links
This Web site contains links to other sites. Please be aware that we, BENEFIT CHOICES, INC, are not responsible for the privacy practices of such other sites. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of each and every Web site that collects personally identifiable information. This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by this Web site.

Surveys [& Contests]
We d not currently conduct surveys or contests through our Web site.

Tell-A-Friend
If a user elects to use our referral service for informing a friend about our site, we ask them for the friend’s email address. This referral system opens an email using your computer’s default email system. You have control over the transmission of this message, which will be governed by the privacy and security policies of your default email system. BENEFIT CHOICES, INC does not store any information regarding to the sender or receiver from this referral service utility.

Security
This Web site takes every precaution to protect our users’ information. When users submit sensitive information, their information is protected both online and off-line.

We do everything in our power to protect user-information off-line. All of our users’ information, not just the sensitive information mentioned above, is restricted in our offices. Only employees who need the information to perform a specific job (for example, our billing clerk or a customer service representative) are granted access to personally identifiable information.

If users have any questions about the security at our Web site, users can send an email to whays@benefitchoicesinc.com.

Correcting/Updating/Deleting/Deactivating Personal Information
If a user’s personally identifiable information changes (such as zip code, phone, email or postal address), or if a user no longer desires our service, we provide a way to correct, update or delete/deactivate users’ personally identifiable information. This can usually be done at the  by contacting us by telephone or postal mail at the contact information listed below.

Notification of Changes
If we decide to change our privacy policy, we will post those changes to this privacy statement.  We will use information in accordance with the privacy policy under which the information was collected.

If, however, we are going to use users’ personally identifiable information in a manner different from that stated at the time of collection we will notify users via email. Users will have a choice as to whether or not we use their information in this different manner. However, if users have opted out of all communication with the site, or deleted/deactivated their account, then they will not be contacted, nor will their personal information be used in this new manner. In addition, if we make any material changes in our privacy practices that do not affect user information already stored in our database, we will post a prominent notice on our Web site notifying users of the change. In some cases where we post a notice we will also email users, who have opted to receive communications from us, notifying them of the changes in our privacy practices.

If users have any questions or suggestions regarding our privacy policy, please contact us at:

Phone (301) 665-9110

Fax (301) 665-9419

Email: whays@benefitchoicesinc.com

Postal Address 

Benefit Choices, Inc.
37 East Washington Street
Hagerstown, MD 21740