Elkin Insurance App Privacy Policy

Effective Date: 10-05-2026 Last Updated: 10-05-2026

1. Introduction

Elkin Insurance ("Elkin Insurance," "we," "us," or "our") is a health, Medicare, Medicaid, life, and annuity insurance agency based in Elkin, North Carolina. We help individuals and families understand and compare their insurance options and stay connected with the agents who serve them.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, store, and protect your information when you use the Elkin Insurance mobile and web application (the "App") and our website at www.elkininsurance.com (the "Website"), together referred to as the "Services." It also explains the choices and rights you have regarding your information.

We understand that insurance involves some of the most personal information a person can share, including details about your health, your finances, and your family. We take that trust seriously. Please read this Policy carefully. By creating an account in, or otherwise using, the App, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Policy. If you do not agree with it, please do not use the App.

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2. Who We Are and How to Reach Us

Elkin Insurance Elkin, North Carolina 28621 Telephone: 336-526-1034 Email: [INSERT PRIVACY CONTACT EMAIL] Website: www.elkininsurance.com

Questions, requests, or concerns about this Policy or your information can be directed to our Privacy Contact at the address, email, or telephone number above.

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3. What the App Does

The App is designed for clients of Elkin Insurance. Depending on the features enabled for you, the App allows you to:

• Schedule appointments with your agent

• Join community meetings and educational events

• Receive updates, reminders, and announcements from your agents

• Read educational articles and resources about Medicare, Medicaid, and other coverage

• View information about your plan(s) and your agent of record

• Contact our agents and office quickly through a single, convenient resource

• Send and receive messages with our agents

This Policy describes the information handled in connection with those features.

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4. Information We Collect

We collect information in three ways: information you give us, information collected automatically when you use the App, and information we receive from other sources.

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4.1 Information You Provide to Us

Account and contact information. Your name, email address, telephone number, mailing address, date of birth, preferred language, and communication preferences. This may also include the login credentials you create for the App.

Insurance and plan information. The carrier and plan(s) you are enrolled in, plan type (for example, Medicare Supplement, Medicare Advantage, Part D, Medicaid, life, or annuity), effective dates, plan year, policy or member identifiers, premium information, and the agent who serves as your agent of record.

Medicare and eligibility information. Information needed to help you evaluate or maintain coverage, such as your Medicare eligibility dates, Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) where you choose to provide it, enrollment periods, and whether you receive financial assistance programs such as Medicaid, Medicare Savings Programs, or Extra Help (the Part D Low-Income Subsidy).

Health-related information. In order to help you compare plans, we may ask about or you may share information such as your doctors and other providers, your prescription medications, pharmacies you use, and health conditions relevant to plan selection. Providing this information is voluntary, but we may not be able to give you accurate plan guidance without it.

Financial information. Limited information about your income range or assistance program status when relevant to eligibility. We do not collect your full bank account, credit card, or debit card numbers through the App. If you need to make a premium payment, you will be directed to your insurance carrier, which handles payments directly.

Communications. The content of messages, appointment requests, notes, and inquiries you send us through the App, by email, or by phone, along with any attachments you upload.

Appointment and event information. Appointment dates and times, topics you request to discuss, and events or community meetings you register for or attend.

Government identifiers. We ask for sensitive identifiers such as a Social Security number or Medicare number only when necessary for a specific purpose, such as completing an enrollment application, and only through the secure methods we provide. Please do not send such identifiers in ordinary, unsecured emails or text messages.

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4.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you use the App, certain information is collected automatically, including:

• Device information: device type, operating system and version, device identifiers, app version, and language settings

• Usage information: features you use, screens you view, articles you read, events you open, buttons you tap, and the date, time, and duration of your use

• Log and diagnostic information: IP address, crash reports, error logs, and performance data

• Approximate location: general location derived from your IP address. We do not collect precise GPS location without your permission.

• Notification information: a device token that allows us to send push notifications, if you opt in

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4.3 Information from Other Sources

• Insurance carriers. With your authorization or as permitted by law, we may receive plan, enrollment, or policy status information from the carriers whose products we sell.

• Your agent. Information your Elkin Insurance agent records about your account and your conversations with them.

• Public and industry sources. Publicly available information and information from industry tools used by licensed insurance agents to verify plan availability, eligibility, or provider networks.

• Client lists provided by your agent. In some cases, your agent may add you to the App using the contact information and plan information you previously gave us in the course of doing business with you.

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5. Protected Health Information and HIPAA

Some of the information described above may be considered "protected health information" or other sensitive health information under federal and state law, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 ("HIPAA").

We treat all health-related information in the App as sensitive. We use administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to meet the requirements that apply to us and to our service providers. Where a service provider handles protected health information on our behalf, we require a written agreement, called a Business Associate Agreement, that obligates the provider to protect that information and to use it only for permitted purposes.

Please note that insurance agencies and agents have different obligations depending on the circumstances, and some of the information you share with us, including information shared in the course of enrolling you in a plan, may be subject to the privacy rules of the insurance carrier you choose in addition to this Policy. Your carrier's privacy notice describes how the carrier uses and discloses information it holds. We encourage you to review it.

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6. How We Use Your Information

We use your information for the following purposes.

To provide and operate the Services

• Create and maintain your account and verify your identity

• Display your plan information and agent contact details

• Schedule, confirm, and remind you of appointments

• Register you for community meetings and educational events

• Deliver messages and updates from your agents

• Respond to your questions and requests

To provide insurance services

• Evaluate your needs and help you compare and choose coverage

• Assist with enrollment, renewals, and plan changes

• Help you find plans that include your doctors and cover your prescriptions

• Help you understand and apply for assistance programs for which you may be eligible

• Provide ongoing service for the plans you hold, including annual review reminders

To communicate with you

• Send service messages, such as appointment reminders, enrollment deadlines, and plan-year or open-enrollment notices

• Send educational content and community event invitations, where you have not opted out

• Send security alerts and policy updates

To improve and secure the Services

• Understand how the App is used so we can improve features and content

• Diagnose technical problems and measure performance

• Detect, prevent, and respond to fraud, abuse, security incidents, and other misuse

To meet legal and regulatory obligations

• Comply with insurance laws and regulations, including record-keeping requirements and rules from federal and state regulators, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and the North Carolina Department of Insurance, and the insurance departments of the other states where we are licensed

• Respond to lawful requests and legal process

• Enforce our terms and protect our rights

We do not use the sensitive health information you provide through the App for unrelated advertising, and we do not sell your personal information.

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7. How We Share Your Information

We share your information only as described below.

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7.1 Your Agents and Our Agency Staff

Your information is accessible to licensed agents and authorized staff of Elkin Insurance who need it to serve you, including the agent of record on your account. Access is limited to what each person needs to do their job.

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7.2 Insurance Carriers

With your permission, or as needed to carry out a transaction you requested, we share information with insurance carriers. For example, when you apply for or change a plan, we send the application and related information to the carrier. Carriers use that information under their own privacy practices.

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7.3 Service Providers

We use trusted companies to help us run the Services, such as providers of cloud hosting, data storage, secure messaging, email and text messaging delivery, scheduling, analytics, customer relationship management, and technical support. These providers may access your information only to perform services for us and are required to protect it and use it only for those services. Where they handle protected health information, they are bound by a Business Associate Agreement.

7.4 Legal, Regulatory, and Safety Reasons

We may disclose information when we believe in good faith that it is required by law, regulation, subpoena, or court order, or to cooperate with regulators and law enforcement; to protect the rights, property, or safety of you, us, or others; or to investigate fraud or security issues.

7.5 Business Transfers

If Elkin Insurance is involved in a merger, acquisition, sale of assets, or similar transaction, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will require the receiving party to honor this Policy or provide you with notice and choices.

7.6 With Your Consent

We may share your information for other purposes when you give us your permission or direct us to do so, for example when you ask us to share information with a family member, caregiver, or authorized representative.

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7.7 De-identified or Aggregated Information

We may create and share information that has been de-identified or aggregated so that it can no longer reasonably be used to identify you, such as general statistics on App usage.

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What We Do Not Do

• We do not sell your personal information.

• We do not share your personal information with third parties for their own marketing.

• We do not share your health information with advertising platforms or social media networks.

• We do not share consumer information with third parties for the purpose of lead generation.

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8. Communications: Email, Text Messages, Calls, and Notifications

Service communications. We will contact you about your account, your appointments, and your coverage. Some of these messages are important and time-sensitive, such as enrollment deadlines.

Marketing communications. Federal and state rules, including those set by CMS for Medicare plans and by the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), place limits on how we may contact you for marketing. We will send marketing or promotional communications, including invitations to sales-related events, only where permitted and where you have given the required consent.

Text messages. If you opt in, we may send text messages such as appointment reminders and updates. Message and data rates may apply. You may reply STOP at any time to opt out of text messages. Reply HELP for assistance. Consent to receive text messages is not a condition of purchasing any insurance product.

Push notifications. If you allow notifications, we may send alerts to your device. You can turn these off at any time in your device settings.

Email. Marketing emails include an unsubscribe link. Even if you unsubscribe from marketing, we may still send you account and service messages.

Phone calls. We may call you regarding your account or appointments. If you ask us not to contact you for marketing, we will honor your request and add you to our internal do-not-contact list.

Medicare communications notice. Contacting you about Medicare plans is subject to strict CMS rules. Consistent with those rules, we will not call or text you about Medicare Advantage or Part D plans unless permitted by law and your consent. A contact from us is not an endorsement by or on behalf of Medicare, the federal government, or any specific insurance carrier.

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9. Cookies and Similar Technologies

On our Website, and in some cases in the App, we use cookies, pixels, local storage, software development kits, and similar technologies to:

• Keep you signed in and remember your preferences

• Keep our Services secure

• Understand how our Website and App are used so we can improve them

• Measure the effectiveness of our content

You can control cookies through your browser settings, and you can manage App permissions through your device settings. Blocking certain technologies may limit some features.

We do not use advertising or tracking technologies on pages or screens where you enter or view health or plan information. Where we use analytics, we limit it to information that does not reveal your health information, and we configure these tools to avoid sending sensitive information to analytics providers.

Do Not Track. Some browsers offer a "Do Not Track" signal. Because there is no common standard for responding to these signals, our Services do not currently respond to them. We do, however, honor opt-out preference signals where required by applicable law.

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10. How We Protect Your Information

We take reasonable and appropriate measures to protect your information, including:

• Encryption of data in transit and at rest

• Access controls that limit information to authorized personnel on a need-to-know basis

• Authentication safeguards, such as password requirements and, where available, multi-factor authentication

• Audit logging of access to sensitive information

• Secure hosting with providers that maintain recognized security practices

• Written agreements with service providers that handle sensitive information

• Staff training on privacy and information security

• Incident response procedures to detect, investigate, and respond to security events

No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. You can help protect yourself by:

• Using a strong, unique password and keeping it confidential

• Keeping your device's operating system and the App up to date

• Using your device's lock screen and biometric protections

• Signing out of the App on shared devices

• Not sharing your Social Security number, Medicare number, or other sensitive details by ordinary email or text

• Contacting us immediately if you suspect unauthorized access to your account

Breach notification. If we learn of a security incident that compromises your information, we will notify you and regulators as required by applicable law, including HIPAA and state breach notification laws such as North Carolina's Identity Theft Protection Act.

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11. How Long We Keep Your Information

We keep your information for as long as necessary to provide the Services, to maintain our relationship with you, and to meet legal, regulatory, tax, and accounting requirements. Insurance regulations in the states where we operate, along with carrier contracts, require agents to retain certain records, such as applications, enrollment records, and client communications, for specific periods that can extend for years after your policy ends.

When we no longer need your information, we will delete it, de-identify it, or securely archive it in accordance with our retention practices and applicable law. If you close your account, we may retain some information as required by law or for legitimate business reasons described above.

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12. Your Choices and Rights

12.1 Choices Available to Everyone

• Access and update. You can review and update much of your account information in the App or by contacting us.

• Communication preferences. You can opt out of marketing emails using the unsubscribe link, opt out of texts by replying STOP, and manage push notifications in your device settings.

• Permissions. You can change App permissions, such as notifications and location, in your device settings.

• Account closure. You can ask us to close your account by contacting us.

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12.2 Rights Under HIPAA

To the extent HIPAA applies to information we hold about you, you may have the right to:

• Request access to, and a copy of, your protected health information

• Request corrections to information you believe is inaccurate

• Request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures

• Request confidential communications by an alternative means or at an alternative location

• Request an accounting of certain disclosures

• Receive a paper copy of our privacy notice

• File a complaint (see Section 18)

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12.3 Rights Under State Privacy Laws

Depending on where you live, including North Carolina and the other states where we serve clients, you may have rights under state privacy laws, which may include the right to:

• Know and access the personal information we have collected about you

• Correct inaccurate personal information

• Delete personal information, subject to legal exceptions

• Obtain a portable copy of your information

• Opt out of the sale of personal information, targeted advertising, and certain profiling. As stated above, we do not sell personal information or use it for targeted advertising.

• Limit the use of sensitive personal information

• Not be discriminated against for exercising your rights

Many privacy laws exempt information that is subject to HIPAA, or that is collected, used, or disclosed under insurance-specific laws such as the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. This means that some of your information may not be covered by these rights. We will tell you if we cannot honor a request for that reason.

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12.4 How to Make a Request

To exercise any of these rights, contact us by:

• Phone: 336-526-1034

• Email: [INSERT PRIVACY CONTACT EMAIL]

• Mail: Elkin Insurance, Attn: Privacy Contact, Elkin, NC 28621

For your protection, we will verify your identity before acting on a request. This may include asking you to confirm information we already have on file. You may use an authorized agent to make a request on your behalf; we may require written proof of their authority. We will respond within the timeframe required by applicable law. If we deny a request, we will explain why and describe any available appeal.

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13. Financial Privacy Notice (Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act)

As an insurance agency, we are subject to federal and state laws that protect the nonpublic personal information of consumers who obtain insurance products or services for personal, family, or household purposes. In summary:

• We collect nonpublic personal information from applications and forms, from your transactions with us and our carriers, and from consumer reporting or other sources as described in Section 4.

• We share nonpublic personal information only as described in this Policy and as permitted by law, such as with carriers to process your coverage, with service providers acting on our behalf, and as required by law.

• We do not disclose nonpublic personal information to nonaffiliated third parties for their own marketing purposes.

• We restrict access to nonpublic personal information to employees, agents, and service providers who need it, and we maintain safeguards that comply with federal and state requirements.

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14. Third-Party Services and Links

The App and Website may contain links to websites and services we do not control, such as insurance carriers, Medicare.gov, the Social Security Administration, state Medicaid agencies, and video or event platforms. This Policy does not apply to those sites. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing information.

If you join a community meeting through a third-party video or event platform, that platform may collect information about you according to its own privacy policy.

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15. Children's Privacy

The Services are intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 through the App. Where a parent or guardian provides information about a minor for the purpose of obtaining family health coverage, we treat that information as part of the adult's account. If you believe a child has provided us information directly, please contact us and we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

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16. Information About Others

If you provide us with information about another person, such as a spouse, caregiver, or family member, you confirm that you have the authority to do so and that you are permitted to share it with us. If someone acts on your behalf (for example, an authorized representative or someone with a power of attorney), we may need documentation of that authority before sharing your information with them.

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17. Where Your Information Is Stored

Elkin Insurance is based in the United States, and we store and process your information in the United States. Our agents are licensed to serve clients in multiple states, so your information may be handled by us in connection with insurance regulations in the state where you live. We do not intentionally transfer your information outside the United States.

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18. Questions and Complaints

If you have a question or concern about your privacy, please contact us first so we can try to resolve it:

Elkin Insurance, Attn: Privacy Contact Elkin, NC 28621 Telephone: 336-526-1034 Email: [INSERT PRIVACY CONTACT EMAIL]

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you also have the right to file a complaint with:

• The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, regarding HIPAA matters: www.hhs.gov/ocr

• The North Carolina Department of Insurance, regarding insurance-related matters: www.ncdoi.gov

• The Attorney General's office or insurance department in your state of residence

We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint or exercising your privacy rights.

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19. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, the App, or the law. When we make material changes, we will post the updated Policy on our Website and in the App, update the "Last Updated" date at the top, and, where required by law, notify you directly or request your consent. We encourage you to review this Policy periodically. Your continued use of the App after an update takes effect means you accept the revised Policy, to the extent permitted by law.

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20. Important Notices

If you do not like our policy or our content please by all means exercise your right to close the page and not return.

We are an independent insurance agency. Elkin Insurance is not affiliated with or endorsed by the federal Medicare program, the Social Security Administration, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or any state Medicaid agency. We do not offer every plan available in your area. For a complete list of options, contact Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), TTY 1-877-486-2048, or visit www.medicare.gov.

Educational content is not advice. Articles and resources in the App are for general information only and are not legal, tax, medical, or financial advice.

Emergencies. The App is not for emergencies. If you have a medical emergency, call 911.

Accessibility. If you have difficulty accessing this Policy or any part of the App because of a disability, or would like this Policy in another format, please contact us at 336-526-1034 and we will work with you.

This Privacy Policy applies to the Elkin Insurance App and the Website at www.elkininsurance.com.