There are two considerations here: whether the insurance company can protect your information from outsiders online, and what the insurance company does with the data you share.

First, let’s address the first concern. Your data is probably safe on a trusted insurance company’s website if the organization has proper security measures in place. The most important consideration is proper encryption, which is an electronic process that makes your information inaccessible to outsiders. This is the same technology used by your financial institution when you do online banking.

Also, if you choose to store your medical information on your insurance company’s website, be sure to use a strong password as an additional layer of defense against threats. A good password is at least seven characters long and contains letters, numbers and symbols.

Federal laws, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), require health care organizations to follow certain security and privacy standards. Be sure to talk to your health insurance provider if you have any questions or concerns about storing your medical history and information online.

Now for the second concern: what the organization will do with your data. It’s strongly recommended that you first read the terms of service to see how your insurance provider accesses or uses your information, if at all. When in doubt, ask them before you divulge anything. For example, does the company share this information, even anonymously, with a pharmaceutical company? Do they use it internally to adjust your insurance premium? Also, will you have access to your information if you’re no longer insured by this company? If you don’t like the answers to those questions, it might be a good idea to manage your medical information using software provided by someone other than a health care provider.