Do I need to know who your doctor is?

[April Smith]

Do I really need to ask my clients who their doctor is? Is this really any of my business? I am having a really hard time dealing with asking my clients this question. I think that this poses a HIPPA violation.

[Bees Knees]

Why would you think you need to ask who their doctor is?

[dtlee]

Only time I would think this is relevant is in an EIC Due Diligence scenario where you might need information from a medical professional to document that the child lived with the person claiming the child. Is there something new that seems to require this?

[April Smith]

Do I need to know who your doctor is?

A form that I am to present to my clients asks "Who is your health care provider?". This offends me! This is not "with whom do you have health insurance." I am gravely disappointed. I can not explain this question away to my clients. It is none of my business who your doctor is. Nor is it anybody's business who does their taxes.

I forget. If I am approached by a client, I will acknowledge. If not, I simply give eye contact, nod, and move on.

[dtlee]

A form that I am to present to my clients asks "Who is your health care provider?". This offends me! This is not "with whom do you have health insurance." I am gravely disappointed. I can not explain this question away to my clients. It is none of my business who your doctor is. Nor is it anybody's business who does their taxes.

I forget. If I am approached by a client, I will acknowledge. If not, I simply give eye contact, nod, and move on.

Who is demanding this information?

[TXEA]

Could you be specific as to where the form that you are presenting to your clients originated? Is it your employer that prepared the form? Is it from a CPE course that you received the form?

The only thing that I can conclude is that "who is your health care provider" is a poorly worded question trying to determine the name of the health INSURANCE provider.

There is no requirement in the law that a taxpayer have a "health care provider" meaning physician, etc......There is only a requirement to have a health insurance coverage unless you meet an exception. Thus, there is no reason to ask who provides their health care services.

Now, maybe it is due diligence to the extreme and someone plans to call the doctor to see if the taxpayer has health insurance coverage. Good luck with that.

[April Smith]

Do I need to know who your doctor is?

I work for a franchise. I contacted my boss. I have expressed my concern. I am asking this question because I can not explain in words how deeply I was offended by this question. My boss will allow me to change the question that better fits the need of "ObamaCare." As I understand, tax preparers must prepare a tax return based the information provided using the honor system. It is bad enough that I must ask so many very personal questions. I am unable to express this to the Headquarter office. Worked there and never again!

Could you be specific as to where the form that you are presenting to your clients originated? Is it your employer that prepared the form? Is it from a CPE course that you received the form?

The only thing that I can conclude is that "who is your health care provider" is a poorly worded question trying to determine the name of the health INSURANCE provider.

There is no requirement in the law that a taxpayer have a "health care provider" meaning physician, etc......There is only a requirement to have a health insurance coverage unless you meet an exception. Thus, there is no reason to ask who provides their health care services.

Now, maybe it is due diligence to the extreme and someone plans to call the doctor to see if the taxpayer has health insurance coverage. Good luck with that.

[April Smith]

Do I need who your doctor is?

Who is demanding this information?

I am unable to say. As directed by "my" boss, who treats me very well, I shall not contact the Corporate Headquarters. She, the one in charge is brutal.

[Burke]

I am pretty sure the question was intended to mean who provides the health insurance, not who provides health "care." Just not worded very well due to the interpretation which can be inferred by your reaction and certainly that of others to be sure.

[dtlee]

It likely was intended to be "Health Care Insurance Provider." However, when I worked for a major firm, they hired thugs to call and make sure we said, "Come on in, we can take of you now" (as opposed to "....take care of you now"). They did not know that the script was wrong, they just knew if we deviated from it.

[ATSMAN]

I am just afraid that ACA is going to cause clients to go on a tangent during the tax interview on the pro and cons of Obamacare. I am going to stick with the checklist. I could care less about the politics during tax prep time! I am not a politician and don't get paid for politics!

[April Smith]

Do I need to know who your doctor is?

The Affordable Heath Care Act was to be a benefit to people. I researched for HOURS and found LITTLE results as to guide my clients to get insurance without telling them with which insurance to go to. If I could be a navigator, perhaps my office would be better and open more often. I would be able to help anyone with questions get through this. I spent MANY hours and got a “RUN AROUND”. Call this #, Call that #. Yet my clients ask me for answers.

MYOB as my mother would say. Mind Your Own Business. How can I explain to my people what I know to be nothing other than HIPPA violation? What place do I have when I can NOT get the proper training and tell someone “YOU OWE.” How fair is that to me as a tax preparer EXERCISING DILIGENGE?

Bye the way I live in NY.

[ToledoEd]

Are we subject to the HIPPA regulations as tax preparers?

[ATSMAN]

Are we subject to the HIPPA regulations as tax preparers?

Not unless you are asking medical questions?

NATP has a great checklist that you can use with your client.

[Bees Knees]

A form that I am to present to my clients asks "Who is your health care provider?"

April, as others have tried to explain, there is no "tax" reason to ask that question. No tax form needs to know who the taxpayer's health care provider is. That question has nothing to do with Obama Care.