Aflac Benefits Solutions, Inc. (ABS) recognizes the importance of protecting the privacy of certain basic personally identifiable information such as names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, credit card numbers, account numbers, social security numbers, and health information of our members. We have adopted this Notice of Privacy Practices to guide our members on how we use member information.

Your Rights
When it comes to your health information, you have certain rights. This section explains your rights and some of our responsibilities to help you with the following:

Get a copy of your health and claims records.
You can ask to see or get a copy of your health and claims records and other health information we have about you. Ask us how to do this.
We will provide a copy or a summary of your health and claims records, usually within 30 days of your request. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee.

Ask us to correct health and claims records.
You can ask us to correct your health and claims records if you think they are incorrect or incomplete. Ask us how to do this.
We may say “no” to your request, but we’ll tell you why in writing within 60 days.

Request confidential communications.
You can ask us to contact you in a specific way (for example, home or office phone) or to send mail to a different address.
We will consider all reasonable requests, and must say “yes” if you tell us you would be in danger if we do not.

Ask us to limit what we use or share.
You can ask us not to use or share certain health information for treatment, payment, or health care operations.
We are not required to agree to your request, and we may say “no” if it would affect your care.

Get a list of those whom we’ve shared information.
You can ask for a list (accounting) of the times we’ve shared your health information for six years prior to the date you ask, who we shared it with, and why.
We will include all the disclosures except for those about treatment, payment, and health care operations, and certain other disclosures (such as any you asked us to make). We will provide one accounting a year for free but will charge a reasonable, cost-based fee if you ask for another one within 12 months.

Get a copy of this privacy notice.
You can ask for a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you have agreed to receive the notice electronically. We will provide you with a paper copy promptly.

Choose someone to act for you.
If you have given someone medical power of attorney or if someone is your legal guardian, that person can exercise your rights and make choices about your health information.
We will make sure the person has this authority and can act for you before we take action.

File a complaint if you feel your rights are violated.
We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.
You can complain if you feel we have violated your rights by contacting the ABS Compliance Officer at 813-283-1276 or compliance@argusdentalvision.com.
We will make sure the person has this authority and can act for you before we take action.

Your Choices
For certain health information, you can tell us your choices about what we share. If you have a clear preference for how we share your information in the situations described below, talk to us. Tell us what you want us to do, and we will follow your instructions.

In these cases, you have both the right and choice to tell us to:
Share information with your family, close friends, or others involved in payment for your care.
Share information in a disaster relief situation.
If you are not able to tell us your preference, for example if you are unconscious, we may go ahead and share your information if we believe it is in your best interest. We may also share your information when needed to lessen a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.

In these cases, we never share your information unless you give us written permission:
Marketing purposes.
Sale of your information.

Other Uses & Disclosures
How do we typically use or share your health information? We typically use or share your health information in the following ways.

Help manage the health care treatment you receive.
We can use your health information and share it with professionals who are treating you.
Example: A provider sends us information about your diagnosis and treatment plan so we can arrange additional services.

Run our organization.
We can use and disclose your information to run our organization and contact you when necessary.
Example: We use health information about you to develop better services for you.

Pay for your health services.
We can use and disclose your health information as we pay for your health services.
Example: We share information about you with your health plan to coordinate payment for your dental or vision services.

How else can we use or share your health information? We are allowed or required to share your information in other ways- usually in ways that contribute to the public good, such as public health and research. We have to meet many conditions in the law before we can share your information for these purposes. For more information, please see: www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/index.html.

Help with public health and safety issues.
We can share health information about you for certain situations such as:
Helping with product recalls.
Reporting adverse reactions to medications.
Reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence.
Preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone’s health or safety.

Do research.
Example: We share information about you with your health plan to coordinate payment for your dental or vision services.

Comply with the law.
We will share information about you if state or federal laws require it, including with the Department of Health and Human Services if it wants to see that we’re complying with federal privacy law.

Respond to organ and tissue donation requests and work with a medical examiner or funeral director.
We can share health information about you with organ procurement organizations.
We can share health information with a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director when an individual die.

Address workers’ compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests.
We can use or share health information about you:
For workers’ compensation claims.
For law enforcement purposes or with law enforcement.
With health oversight agencies for activities authorized by law.
For special government functions such as military, national security, and presidential protective services.

Respond to lawsuits and legal actions.
We can share health information about you in response to a court or administrative order, or in response to a subpoena.

Our Responsibilities
We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information. We will let you know promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information. We must follow the duties and privacy practices described in this notice and give you a copy of it. We will not use or share your information other than as described here unless you tell us we can in writing. If you tell us we can, you may change your mind at any time. Let us know in writing if you change your mind.

For more information, please see: www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/noticepp.html.

California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)
The CCPA gives California residents certain limited privacy rights with respect to their personal information. These rights include the right to know about certain kinds of personal information we may collect, the right to delete this information and the right to opt-out of our sale of this information. The CCPA does not apply to publicly available information from government records, de-identified data or aggregated consumer information.

In addition, the CCPA does not apply to all protected health information we collect about you that is subject to the privacy, security and breach notification provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). Because we comply with these requirements, your personal health information, such as your name, address, email address, phone numbers, credit card numbers, account numbers, social security number and health information is subject to the HIPAA rights described above, and not to the CCPA.

Changes to the Terms of this Notice
We can change the terms of this notice, and the changes will apply to all information we have about you. The new notice will be available upon request and on our website. This notice was last updated on April 7, 2020.

Questions or Comments
Any questions or comments that relate to this notice may be directed to the ABS Compliance Officer through one of the following ways.

Mail:
Aflac Benefits Solutions, Inc.
Attn: Compliance Officer
4919 West Laurel Street
Tampa, Fl 33607

Email: Compliance@argusdentalvision.com

Phone: 813-283-1276