Welcome to the Vermont Health Connect website. Vermont Health Connect exists to help you find the healthcare plan that's right for you. Your privacy is a top priority for us and we will respect it. This notice explains the privacy implications of this website so you can make informed choices.
Some pages of this site may contain links to other websites that are not owned by VHC. If you do not see the VHC logo on the page, you have left our site.
VHC Information Privacy Policy
LAST UPDATED: September 1, 2023.
A Privacy Partnership
Your privacy with respect to the use of this site results from a partnership between the Vermont Health Connect and you, the user. At this website, we attempt to protect your privacy to the maximum extent possible. We shall ensure that information about you is used to perform exchange minimum functions shall only be collected, created, used, or stored with your consent or as otherwise required by law. This notice informs you of the information that we collect from you at this site, what we do with it, to whom it may be disseminated, and how you can access it. Based on this information, you can make an informed decision about your use of this site. You can maximize the benefits of your privacy partnership with Vermont Health Connect by making informed decisions about whether to share personally identifiable information with us through this site.
Read Vermont Health Connect's Notice of Privacy Practices in English or in:
Personally Identifiable Information
We use the term "personally identifiable information" to mean Information that can be used to distinguish or to identify you, such as your name, social security number, biometric records (like finger prints), etc., alone or when combined with other personal or identifying information that is linked or linkable to you, such as your date and place of birth, mother's maiden name, etc.
Information About You
We collect information directly from you. This includes your name, age, family situation, income, employment, and residency or citizenship status. Find out more about the Privacy Act of 1974 here. We also collect information from other sources, including government agencies. We use data from credit reporting agencies only to help identify you. Information about you that we collect, access, use, disclosure and retain will be the minimum amount necessary for us to perform Vermont Health Connect eligibility, enrollment, and certification functions.
This website also uses "cookies" that store information on your computer. We only use temporary "session cookies" that are deleted when you close your browser. This site does log your IP address, but only to see how often you visit and how popular individual pages are.
Read Vermont Health Connect's Information Privacy Policy that governs its collection, use and storage of personally identifiable information.
What We Do With Your Information
Vermont Health Connect operates under the Department of Vermont Health Access (DVHA) which is part of Vermont’s Agency of Human Services (AHS). Vermont Health Connect exists only to help Vermonters find health plans and assistance paying for those plans. We share your information with a very limited group of agencies necessary to perform Vermont Health Connect minimum functions. We do not sell any personally identifiable information collected through this website or submitted to Vermont Health Connect by using functions on the website, and there is no direct or online public access to the information. Your information is only shared with employees or organizations on a strict "need to know" basis.
You do not need to enter citizenship or immigration information about members of your household who are not applying for coverage. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) does not use information obtained through a health insurance exchange such as VHC for the purposes of pursuing civil immigration proceedings.
For more information on issues affecting immigrants, see here:
http://www.ice.gov/doclib/ero-outreach/pdf/ice-aca-memo.pdf
HHS Q&A: https://www.healthcare.gov/what-do-immigrant-families-need-to-know/
Choice
You do not need to use this website to buy your insurance. You can find and/or purchase your insurance through a navigator, broker, certified application counselor, or over the phone through the Vermont Health Connect call center. If you have insurance through your employer you may not need to buy insurance on the exchange.
Access, Correction, and Modification
You have the right to see whatever information we have about you. You also have the right to have this information corrected if we have any incorrect information on file. Call the VHC Toll-Free Hotline at 1-855-899-9600 for any questions regarding your information.
Reporting a Privacy Breach
If you believe that you or your dependent’s personally identifiable information may have been inappropriately accessed, acquired or disclosed you may file a complaint by calling the VHC Toll-Free Hotline at 1-855-899-9600 or by email at: AHS.PrivacyandSecurity@vermont.gov.
Security
We use standard security measures to ensure that information provided by you, including your personally identifiable information, is not lost, misused, altered, or unintentionally destroyed. We also use software to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage. Using the internet always has privacy risks and all those risks are present in communications sent to or from this website. You should be especially aware of dangers such as email and using public internet access points. Do not send private information by email.
Changes to Policies and this page
Our policies can change. If we do change them, we will note the date of the last change. We recommend that you check this page regularly to see if any information has changed since your last visit.
Site Privacy Contact Information
For questions about your privacy while using this website, please contact: VHC Toll-Free Hotline at 1-855-899-9600, or by email, at AHS.PrivacyandSecurity@vermont.gov.