Posted on 04/30/2003 9:49:52 AM PDT by HDCochran
I know that HIPAA requires compliance from health providers and health insurance providers. It requires them to request that WE sign away our control over the privacy of our personal health records. It requires the establishment of a national database of health information about each of us and requires providers to share that data with others especially with government agencies for "official government purposes." It requires that the national database of individuals' health information be readily linked with the existing national database of individuals' financial records through the Social Security Number.
Somehow I just won't feel comfortable when President Hillary! has access all of this information on everyone in the US for her "official government purpose".
Now my question: What happens when I decline to sign the forms releasing my private personal health information? I don't think the law took away my right to refuse to sign the release. So, then what happens? Can every health provider and health insurance provider in the country refuse me access to health care and health insurance? Does this odious law give us any authority over our own health records?
The HIPAA Privacy ruling is often misunderstood or ignored by people reading the notices. Also, while the expense to send the notices was high, response is extremely low: there have been only about 300 requests to copy or restrict health information from a Privacy Notice mailing of over 3 million at this company.
The way I understand the HIPAA Privacy "regulation" (administered by HHS and the Office of Civil Rights) is that a health-care provider or similar entity, or its business associate, can look at, use and transfer your personal health information during normal business procedures to support treatment, payment or health-care operations. This cannot be restricted unless you choose to not use the health services.
The stickler is that entities are required to turn over your info for "certain public policy and national priority purposes", including law enforcement, anti-terrorism activities, the FDA, "research institutes", etc. without your consent at all.
In my opinion, the ruling is intended to drive larger entities out of business by imposing laborious "protection" procedures, make health-care consumers dissatisfied that they now have to do things differently at the pharmacy or as POA's, and open the door to "national health care" over the current system of care.
For those of you with the patience to read the Federal Register's "final rule" on the despicable 93-page HIPAA Privacy regulation conceived and enacted during the Clinton administration, see 45 CFR Parts 160 and 164
Warning: Understanding this ruling may cause nausea and vomiting.
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