Effective: October 1, 2017

Your privacy is important to us. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates (collectively referred to as “Company” or “we”), protects your privacy on this website (the “Site”). This Website Privacy Policy is part of the Company’s Terms of Use, which you may access here. This notice describes the information we collect on this Site, how we use and disclose the information, and how we safeguard any information we collect when you visit this Site. Some pages on this Site may supplement this notice by describing privacy practices that apply to information on (or provided through) those pages.

The Information We Collect, Use, and Disclose

Information About Your Use of the Site: When you visit this Site, it automatically captures your domain name, the IP address of the Web page from which you enter the Site, the pages you visit on the Site, and the amount of time you spend on the Site. This information alone does not identify you to us. In addition, we collect information about the use of various features of the Site, such as the extent to which certain features are used and the links or information that users access. We use this information to better understand how the Site is used, to improve and expand the Site, and to enhance your and other users’ experience with the Site.

We also may use cookies, pixel tags, and similar technologies in order to assist your use of the Site and to monitor and manage the Site so that we can improve, revise, and add material to the Site. Cookies are small files that are placed on your browser or device by a website. Pixel tags (also called clear GIFs, web beacons, or pixels) are small blocks of code on a website that allow them to do things like read and place cookies and transmit information to us. We use cookies and similar technologies for a variety of reasons, such as allowing us to show you content and material that's most relevant to you, improving our products and services, and helping to keep our products and services secure. While specific names of the cookies and similar technologies that we use may change from time to time as we improve and update our products and services, they generally fall into the following categories of use: authentication, security, insights and measurements, and site features and performance. You may use your browser controls to refuse to allow cookies to be placed on your computer. Refusing cookies disables our ability to include information about your visit in regular monitoring of Site traffic and may impact the way the Site functions on your computer.

We may hire third-party contractors to monitor, evaluate, and help improve users’ experience on our website. These contractors may have access to the information described above, subject to contractual obligations to comply with privacy and security requirements.

Protected Health Information. The Site includes pages that give you the opportunity to provide us with personal information about yourself. You are not required to provide personal information to use the Site, but personal information is necessary for certain functions of the Site. Personal information you provide to us on this Site (“Protected Health Information”) is subject to the HIPAA Privacy Rule. When Company collects Protected Health Information on this Site, Company’s HIPAA Privacy Practices Notice, which you may access here, describes how the Protected Health Information may be used and disclosed and the rights you have with respect to the information.  

Once you download Protected Health Information from the Site, it is your responsibility to safeguard the information. We are not responsible for any third party’s access to your Protected Health Information once you have downloaded it.

Privacy and Security

Company is committed to taking appropriate measures to protect your privacy against unauthorized disclosures. Company and its third-party web vendor use a variety of safeguards and techniques designed to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and (when appropriate) availability of your information. You should be aware, however, that website security technology changes rapidly and that any security system can be “hacked.” Accordingly, we cannot guarantee that these safeguards will ensure the safety of your information in all situations or that your information will not be intercepted while being transmitted to or by us over the Internet. In any event, Company is not responsible for (and not liable for) third parties’ illegal or criminal activity.

Third-Party Links

The Site may contain links to websites of third parties that you may access. These websites have their own privacy policies and we recommend that you review those policies before using those websites. We cannot control the information disclosed to or by these third-party websites or how that information is used and disclosed.

Children

The Site is not directed at children under the age of 13. Company complies with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”) and does not knowingly permit registration or submission of Protected Health Information by anyone younger than 13 years of age without the consent of a parent or guardian. To best protect your child’s privacy, please carefully supervise your child’s access to the Internet and this Site. For more information on how to protect your child’s privacy, you can visit the Federal Trade Commission’s Kids privacy page, accessible via www.ftc.gov.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

Your use of this Site constitutes your acceptance of the terms of this Privacy Policy, as may be amended or revised by us from time to time. We may advise you that changes have been made by posting a notice on this Site or through other means. The date of the latest revision will be noted at the beginning of this Privacy Policy. Please consult this Site and the Privacy Policy regularly for any changes.

Notice for Users Outside of the United States

You should be aware that the United States and other countries have not harmonized their privacy regulations. Because the Site is intended specifically for users in the United States, we have written this Privacy Policy to satisfy requirements of the laws of the United States.  By using the Site and the services available on this Site, you agree to the level of privacy protection set out in this Privacy Policy.

Contact Us

To contact us regarding this policy and our related privacy practices, please contact us at:

Privacy Officer

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont
I-20 East @ Alpine Road (AC-200)
Columbia, SC 29219
Telephone:  (803) 264-7258

If you believe we or any company associated with us has misused any of your information please contact us immediately and report such misuse.