Topic: WARNING-WARNING - Invasion of Privacy - WARNING-WARNING
Mykl
Administrator
posted December 02, 1999 11:08 AM
Click on the hyperlink below to go to what is potentially the most dangerous threat to ALL Americans privacy. This is the result of an effort to rush through
DHHS a mechanism to allow your personal medical and financial records to be distributed. Although it addresses "safeguards", the fact that it is being
enacted as an Executive Branch regulatory "failsafe" upon Congressional failure to enact legislation, makes the FDIC's "Know Your Customer" profiling effort
pale by comparison.
INVASION!!
Read it & express your comments at the website.
Contact your Congressional Rep & Senators, and express your views to them and ensure they take immediate action to carefully review the proposal and it's
potential for abuse.
Here is an excerpt from the press release:
"HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala proposed today the first-ever set of national standards to protect the privacy of Americans' personal health
records. The standards will apply to medical records created by health care providers, hospitals, health plans and health care clearinghouses
that are either transmitted or maintained electronically, and the paper printouts created from these records.
"The privacy of Americans is protected in their bank transactions, their credit card statements, and even their video rentals. Yet, until today,
Americans had no federal privacy protections for their medical records," Secretary Shalala said. "These proposed standards are an important
step forward in protecting the privacy of some of our most personal information."
Shalala noted that Americans are increasingly worried that the privacy of their medical information will be violated. Some have even taken
action to avoid creating a medical record, including withholding information from their doctors, changing doctors, or even avoiding care
altogether. "We cannot allow the absence of privacy protections to compromise the quality of care in our nation," Secretary Shalala said. "Our
proposals will provide Americans with greater peace of mind as they seek care, yet they are balanced with the need to protect public health,
conduct medical research and improve the quality of health care for the nation."
The bipartisan Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) -- also known as the Kassebaum-Kennedy law -- called
on Congress to enact comprehensive national medical record privacy standards by Aug. 21, 1999. If Congress was unable to meet that
deadline, HIPAA required the Secretary of HHS to issue final regulations by Feb. 21, 2000. Today's proposal marks the beginning of that
regulatory process..."
Post comments to the original thread in the Legal Forum
Mykl
Administrator
posted December 02, 1999 11:08 AM
Click on the hyperlink below to go to what is potentially the most dangerous threat to ALL Americans privacy. This is the result of an effort to rush through
DHHS a mechanism to allow your personal medical and financial records to be distributed. Although it addresses "safeguards", the fact that it is being
enacted as an Executive Branch regulatory "failsafe" upon Congressional failure to enact legislation, makes the FDIC's "Know Your Customer" profiling effort
pale by comparison.
INVASION!!
Read it & express your comments at the website.
Contact your Congressional Rep & Senators, and express your views to them and ensure they take immediate action to carefully review the proposal and it's
potential for abuse.
Here is an excerpt from the press release:
"HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala proposed today the first-ever set of national standards to protect the privacy of Americans' personal health
records. The standards will apply to medical records created by health care providers, hospitals, health plans and health care clearinghouses
that are either transmitted or maintained electronically, and the paper printouts created from these records.
"The privacy of Americans is protected in their bank transactions, their credit card statements, and even their video rentals. Yet, until today,
Americans had no federal privacy protections for their medical records," Secretary Shalala said. "These proposed standards are an important
step forward in protecting the privacy of some of our most personal information."
Shalala noted that Americans are increasingly worried that the privacy of their medical information will be violated. Some have even taken
action to avoid creating a medical record, including withholding information from their doctors, changing doctors, or even avoiding care
altogether. "We cannot allow the absence of privacy protections to compromise the quality of care in our nation," Secretary Shalala said. "Our
proposals will provide Americans with greater peace of mind as they seek care, yet they are balanced with the need to protect public health,
conduct medical research and improve the quality of health care for the nation."
The bipartisan Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) -- also known as the Kassebaum-Kennedy law -- called
on Congress to enact comprehensive national medical record privacy standards by Aug. 21, 1999. If Congress was unable to meet that
deadline, HIPAA required the Secretary of HHS to issue final regulations by Feb. 21, 2000. Today's proposal marks the beginning of that
regulatory process..."
Post comments to the original thread in the Legal Forum