Guess you cant read. Being in the works doesnt mean they are law, it means that they have been discussed and everyone knew that at some point there would be regulations. HIPAA was passed by Republican congress in the late 90's. The clinton administration tried to write rules to implement these laws but screwed them up so bad they had to put them on hold. Bush came in to office and has rewritten the rules to make them reasonable. They are not Bush's doing. He's merely making the best of what was passed by congress. The purpose is to protect our medical privacy which today can be sold to outside marketing firms by the insurance companies or can be used by sister companies of the Insurance firms that do marketing.
The Bush administration is as interested in writing intrusive regulations as the Clinton administration was. I didn't need the government telling me how to handle medical records for the last 20 years, and I don't now.
Actually, I may opt out of the system. Unless they changed this option in the final rule, physician offices with less than 10 people who use paper billing instead of electronic billing can opt out.
Pretty ridiculous isn't it? In order to free myself and my patients from the requirements and obligations of these regulations, I have to give up using a computerized system and go back to paper.
These rules, by the way, really do nothing to "protect your privacy" from insurance companies. Your insuror and all of the Tom, Dick's, Harry's and Jane's can still require all of your medical information they want. Now, that information can be gotten by the government, as well, if this provision hasn't been changed.
When you want to buy a gun in 4 years, when Hillary is president, and your new federal permit application is denied because your physician treated you for depression one time, then you will understand the unintended...or intended, perhaps...consequence of these Bush pro-government regulations.