FWD>Health Care Privacy Ale

[Dave Banisar <banisar@washofc.epic.org>]

Date	8/8/94
Subject	FWD>Health Care Privacy Ale
From	Dave Banisar
To	Interested People
CC	Beverly Woodward

>From CPSR                     FWD>Health Care Privacy Alert
FYI, pls respond directly to the address below.


Date: Sun, 7 Aug 1994 12:43 EDT
From: WOODWARD@BINAH.CC.BRANDEIS.EDU (Beverly Woodward)
Subject: Health Care Privacy Alert

                                 ALERT

     The health care legislation proposed by Gephardt in the House and
Mitchell in the Senate contains provisions which would establish a
national health care data network and override most state medical
confidentiality laws.  All health care providers, whether paid by
insurance or not, will be required to provide the network with data
from the patient medical record after every clinical encounter.
(The data elements will not be limited to what is necessary for
billing purposes.)  A very weak "privacy" (or "fair information")
code will regulate the redisclosure of such patient-identified
information.  The law will permit person-identified information
to be made available in various circumstances to law enforcement
officials, medical and social studies researchers, and government
authorities without the knowledge or consent of the patient.  
These legislative provisions are being promoted as administrative
simplification and cost-saving measures, but they will seriously
erode patient privacy.  Unfortunately the general public has not
been informed about these sections of the health care reform bills.
Legislation of this kind requires intensive debate and should not
be folded into a bill to extend insurance coverage and reform
health care financing.  Contact your Representative and your Senators
to urge that the "Administrative Simplification," "National Health
Care Data Network," and so-called "Privacy" and "Fair Information
Practices" sections of these bills be deleted.  The general telephone
number for Capitol offices is 202, 224-3121.

Watch for further updates!  You may contact us at 617, 433-0114.
Coaltion for Patient Rights, Massachusetts