Bush Administration Decides Not to Require Written Patient Consent for Sharing Medical Records

ap ^ | August 9, 2002 | Janelle Carter

[Ragin1]

Don't you just love this guy?!

[HalfIrish]

I don't get it.. the Democrats wanted us to have 'smart cards' with all our history on them, available to every government agency (and a few others, too) yet now they act as if they are the wonderful guys in white hats trying to protect our privacy? Looks more like they want to increase our discomfort level with the status quo so we'll start to believe that their wonderful government-run system can "save" us.

[AM2000]

Hospitals and physicians can share private information about a patient's health with HMOs and insurance companies without the patient's permission, the Bush administration said Friday in a decision denounced by privacy advocates.

Bush is selling out the very people who voted for him, in favor of the people who paid his way... I guess if I want my elected representatives to give a rats ass about me, I better get out there and make myself a whole lotta money....

[Lexington Green]

Better be real careful about what you tell your doctor.

[arkfreepdom]

These regulations were going to be a nightmare and would have made taking care of patients very difficult. The privacy regs were ridiculous and had to be rewritten. Do you think Sen. Kennedy is a friend of the individual?

[Libertarianize the GOP]

.

[flamefront]

The Clinton version "would have forced sick or injured patients to run all around town getting signatures before they could get care or medicine," said Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson.

There appears to be lots of confusion about who wants what. Wasn't secret-health-care-industry-takeover Hillary the one for the ID card?

[zoyd]

Better be real careful about what you tell your doctor.

Unintended consequences bump.

[arkfreepdom]

Example: I see a patient who has a brain hemorrhage and send him to the hospital to be seen by a neurosurgeon. Under the regs as written, the neurosurgeon could not even look at the cat scan without the patient's signed permission.....sheer stupidity.

[Diddle E. Squat]

The AP with a misleading headline(again).

[Sungirl]

What's going on? Why is this necessary and why in the world would Kennedy try to to help conservatives??

[B-bone]

As you outline, these regs would have made it impossible to care for patients.

It is good to have adults in charge rather then demagogues.

[jimtorr]

Note the only person the article names as being opposed to the new regulations. Do you really think Sen. Kennedy cares about individual privacy? He's one of the biggest supporters of government intrusions in your and my life around.

The Clintonista-flavor privacy regulations were only a smokescreen to give government, at every level, unrestricted access to everyones medical records. They were a marvel of bueracrat double-speak. The present regulations strip out most of the government access, I think.

[jimtorr]

""........why in the world would Kennedy try to to help conservatives??""

He's not. He just wants another campaign issue to demagog.

Kennedy also wants some of things in the original regulations. If I remember correctly, it's these "privacy" regulations that Hillary was going to use to give government - local, state and federal - unrestricted access to all medical records.

[caddie]

The Clinton version of the proposal, which was never put into effect, would have required signed consent forms from patients even for routine matters such as billing statements to insurance providers.

The notion that sick patients would have to drive all over town for signatures is a lie.

If consent is needed, it is legal to fax one's signed form; and, I believe, an individual can waive his consent, for convenience, with an insurer, if there is some desire on the part of the patient.

The danger here, in my opinion, is that persons with STDs, depression, etc., which are charged diagnoses, will not be able to protect their privacy.

The insurers have driven up the cost of health care to such an extent that it is impractical for a patient to seek care secretly and pay for it.

This is just another needless slap in the face of individual citizens, just so scum who work for insurance company won't have to be inconvenienced.

This POTUS does not give a damn about the common man.

[AM2000]

What you say about the Clinton agenda may very well be true - I don't doubt it, since it's totally in line with the way that administration operated.

Having said that, I don't understand the need to bring the Democrats into this argument. Bush is the one who's going to let corporate America (the insurance companies and HMOs) look at my medical records without my consent. That's the bottom line and there's no sugarcoating it.

[AM2000]

This POTUS does not give a damn about the common man.

Precisely.

[cva66snipe]

The privacy regs were ridiculous and had to be rewritten. Do you think Sen. Kennedy is a friend of the individual?

No, nor do I think Bush and at least half of the Republican Party on this matter is a friend of the individual. They are loyal friends of the HMO and protectionist. They will consider every time HMO best interest over the rights and good of the individual.

BTW I can show Bush is an HMO ran Universal Health Care Suoporter. The Universal Health Care in the article below is HMO controlled.

This was a press release from www.georgewbush.com from his 2000 campaign.

August 17, 1999

Tennessee Governor Becomes 22nd To Endorse George W. Bush

AUSTIN – Tennessee Governor Don Sundquist today endorsed Governor George W. Bush for President.

"I am pleased to join Governor Bush’s campaign and will work hard in Tennessee to help him win the nomination and the Presidency," said Governor Sundquist at a Nashville news conference. "I have known Governor Bush and his family for many years, and I know how important public service is to them."

"As a colleague of Governor Bush’s, I have watched him become one of the strongest governors in the country. His record in Texas is outstanding, and many of his innovative programs have served as models for the nation. Governor Bush is a proven leader who has the unique ability to unite people and accomplish success. I look forward to working with him and his team, as we gain support from Memphis to Mountain City for this dynamic leader," added Governor Sundquist.

"Governor Sundquist is a valued colleague and a good, close friend, and I am honored to have his support" said Governor Bush. "Don is devoted to welfare reform and better education for the people of Tennessee. His help will be important to my campaign in the Volunteer State. I intend to wage a vigorous, winning effort in Tennessee, not only in the primary, but the general election as well."

Re-elected to a second term last year with a record 69 percent of the vote, Governor Sundquist has initiated unprecedented reforms in Tennessee in the areas of welfare, government and crime, while placing a special emphasis on Tennessee children. Under his watch, the growth of government spending has been cut by more than half; the number of employable adults on welfare has been reduced by 60 percent; and Tennessee became the first state in the nation to connect every public school and library to the Internet and to offer universal health care coverage to all children.

[AdamSelene235]

Example: I see a patient who has a brain hemorrhage and send him to the hospital to be seen by a neurosurgeon. Under the regs as written, the neurosurgeon could not even look at the cat scan without the patient's signed permission.....sheer stupidity.

Example, I find out my new insurance provider (United Health Care) is selling every detail of my medical history to credit agencies. To maintain my privacy I withhold my SSN. Result: I lose all coverage.

See how that works?