"Call it a mistake. What's the big deal?"
She didn't speak for an uncomfortably long time. Barry held his breath so he could hear whatever background noise was on the other end more clearly, and was pretty sure that his caller had begun to hyperventilate.
"Ms. Kim?" he said at last. "Are you all right? "Cause if you're having some kind of health problem, I can call 911 for you. Well, I could if I knew where you were."
"I'm okay," she said, her voice barely over a whisper. "But I'm not sure you'll be."
"Me? Why?"
"It's a felony," she said, somewhat louder.
"What is?"
"Lying on your insurance form. If you fabricated having had a treatment or a test in order to affect the demand-pricing scheme and reduce your personalized premium, I have no choice but to report you to Homeland Security. You'll lose your health insurance, and probably your job. You'll be arrested and tried. Convicted. Sentenced."
"Geez."
"And so would I if I refused to report you."
"Wait. What?"
"I'd be charged with a felony if I didn't report you for filling in that checkbox."
"How would anyone know?"
She took a deep breath. "You don't understand. I'm responsible for the correctness of any form I'm assigned to verify. My ID is logged against your form."
"Let me get this straight," Barry said, pacing. "You're saying that I committed a felony by filling in a checkbox in error."
"That's right."
She didn't speak for an uncomfortably long time. Barry held his breath so he could hear whatever background noise was on the other end more clearly, and was pretty sure that his caller had begun to hyperventilate.
"Ms. Kim?" he said at last. "Are you all right? "Cause if you're having some kind of health problem, I can call 911 for you. Well, I could if I knew where you were."
"I'm okay," she said, her voice barely over a whisper. "But I'm not sure you'll be."
"It's a felony," she said, somewhat louder.
"What is?"
"Lying on your insurance form. If you fabricated having had a treatment or a test in order to affect the demand-pricing scheme and reduce your personalized premium, I have no choice but to report you to Homeland Security. You'll lose your health insurance, and probably your job. You'll be arrested and tried. Convicted. Sentenced."
"Geez."
"And so would I if I refused to report you."
"Wait. What?"
"I'd be charged with a felony if I didn't report you for filling in that checkbox."
"How would anyone know?"
She took a deep breath. "You don't understand. I'm responsible for the correctness of any form I'm assigned to verify. My ID is logged against your form."
"Let me get this straight," Barry said, pacing. "You're saying that I committed a felony by filling in a checkbox in error."
"That's right."
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