Privacy Policy

Patients Over Policies ("we," "us," or "our") operates the website at patientsoverpolicies.org. This policy explains exactly what information we collect, how we use it, who can see it, how long we keep it, and your rights regarding your information.

We are an independent, non-commercial public archive. We do not sell products, run advertising, or maintain user accounts. We have no affiliation with any insurance company, political organization, or healthcare corporation.

1. Who we are

Patients Over Policies is an independent public archive documenting health insurance claim denials, prior authorization barriers, coverage delays, and other administrative obstacles that patients report have affected their healthcare across the United States. We are not a healthcare provider, insurer, law firm, or covered entity under HIPAA. We accept no advertising, sponsorships, or financial support from organizations that profit from health insurance decisions.

2. What information we collect

Story submissions

When you submit a story through our submission form, we collect the following information:

• First name and last initial — used to attribute published stories. Your full name is never published.
• U.S. state — used for geographic context in published stories.
• Denial type — the category of insurance barrier you experienced.
• Condition or procedure — the medical subject of the denial.
• Year of denial — for historical context.
• Your story — the narrative you choose to share.
• Outcome (optional) — what happened after the denial.
• Email address (optional) — used only to contact you with questions about your submission or to notify you when your story is published. Your email address is never published and is never shared with other visitors.

We do not collect Social Security numbers, insurance policy numbers, medical record numbers, provider names, employer information, income, or any other information beyond what is listed above.

Newsletter signups

If you sign up for our newsletter, we collect your email address only. We use it to send periodic updates about the archive. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in any email we send.

Automatically collected information

When you visit our website, our hosting infrastructure and analytics service automatically collect:

• IP address
• Browser type and version
• Operating system
• Pages visited and time spent
• Referring URL

This information is collected in aggregate to help us understand how the site is used. See Section 6 for details on our analytics service and your opt-out options.

3. Required vs. optional fields

You may submit a story without providing an email address. If you do not provide an email, we will not be able to contact you before publication or notify you when your story goes live.

4. Who can read raw submissions

Unreviewed and unpublished submissions — including any email address provided — are accessible only to the site administrator. No other person, organization, or automated system has access to raw submissions, except as described in Section 7 (Service providers) and Section 8 (Legal disclosure).

Rejected submissions are not shared with any third party and are deleted within 90 days of a final rejection decision.

5. What we publish

Published stories include your first name and last initial, your state, the denial type, condition or procedure, year, outcome (if provided), and the text of your story as edited for publication.

Your email address is never published. Stories may be edited to remove personally identifying information, unnecessary identifying details, or content that could create legal or privacy concerns, while preserving the substance and integrity of your experience.

Publication of a story does not constitute independent verification of every factual statement it contains. Published stories represent the experiences and perspectives of the individuals who submitted them.

6. Analytics and tracking technologies

We use Google Analytics 4 to collect aggregate data about how visitors use this website. Google Analytics uses cookies and may associate your visit data with other data Google holds about you. We have enabled IP anonymization where available.

You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on, or by declining cookies when prompted by our cookie consent banner.

7. Service providers

We use the following third-party services to operate this website. Each receives only the data necessary to perform its function.

We do not use advertising networks, data brokers, marketing automation platforms, affiliate tracking services, or any other third-party data processors beyond those listed above.

8. Legal disclosure and subpoenas

We may disclose your information — including your email address and unedited submission — if required to do so by a valid court order, subpoena, or other legal process. We will make reasonable efforts to notify you before complying with such a request unless we are legally prohibited from doing so.

We do not voluntarily share submission data with law enforcement, government agencies, insurance companies, employers, or any other third party absent a legal obligation.

9. Retention and deletion schedule

To request deletion of your submission, email address, or published story, contact us at [email protected]. We will confirm deletion within 30 days.

10. Security and breach notification

We use HTTPS encryption for all data transmitted to and from this website. Access to raw submissions is restricted to the site administrator. No security system is perfect, and we cannot guarantee the absolute security of information transmitted over the internet.

In the event of a security breach that affects submitted health information or email addresses, we will notify affected submitters by email (if an email address was provided) within a reasonable time and will post a notice on this website describing the nature of the breach and the steps we are taking in response.

11. HIPAA notice

12. Children's privacy

This website is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13. If you believe a child has submitted information to this site, contact us at [email protected] and we will delete it promptly.

13. Your rights

You may at any time:

• Request a copy of the information we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate information
• Request deletion of your submission, email address, or published story
• Withdraw consent for publication of your story
• Unsubscribe from our newsletter at any time via the link in any email

To exercise any of these rights, email [email protected]. We will respond within 30 days.

14. Changes to this policy

If we make material changes to this policy, we will post the updated version on this page with a new effective date and describe the nature of the change at the top of the document. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

15. Contact

For privacy questions, deletion requests, or concerns about your submission:

Last updated: July 22, 2026