It seems many pro-Obama people on the internet say that the new, very strict federal medical privacy laws, HIPAA, prohibit any Hawaii hospital---even if Obama's mother was never a patient in that hospital---from revealing to reporters that Obama’s mother was or was not a patient on Aug. 4, 1961, even though she died in the 1990s.
It is all very confusing to me.
However, I did some research on HIPAA, and I came across this passage in an article about myths about HIPAA.
I post it here for discussion sake.
“Myth #13: The press can no longer access vital public information from hospitals about accident or crime victims.
FACT: HIPAA allows hospitals to continue to make public (including to the press) certain patient directory information - including the patient’s location in the facility and condition in general terms - unless the patient has specifically opted out of having such information publicly available.
Thus, if a patient has not opted out of being listed in a hospital directory, and a reporter knows the name of an accident or crime victim, the reporter can request directory information from a hospital, including the condition of the patient.
HIPAA does prohibit the hospital from releasing anything more than directory information, without the patient’s authorization.
This HIPAA provision, however, is not a change from most existing state laws, which protect the confidentiality of patient information to varying degrees.
Further, the HIPAA Privacy Rule does not directly cover the media, so once a reporter obtains patient information, from any source, he or she is not restricted by HIPAA in how the information is used or disclosed.”
I understand there are no hospital records for Obama or his mother at any point in time anywhere in Honolulu
From the web:
>>Hospitals you can check yourself (Hint on the process: Most of the following Hospitals didn’t exist in Honolulu County at time of Obama’s birth so this was an academic exercise) The main two hospitals claimed that definitely existed are above and both have no record of Obama or Mother Ann in either of them.
The Queen’s Medical Center - Honolulu, Hawaii Obama claims as his birth hospital, no record of Obama or mom
Kapi’ olani Medical Center Obama’s sister claims Barack Obama born here—no record of Obama or mom
Honolulu Shriners Hospital Never a patient Mom or Obama
Straub Clinic & Hospital Never a patient Mom or Obama
Hawaii Health Systems Corporation - Honolulu, Hawaii Never a patient Mom or Obama
Cancer Institute of Maui - Wailuku, Hawaii No Comment ???
Kuakini Hospital - Honolulu, Hawaii Never a patient Mom or Obama
Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific - Honolulu, Hawaii Never a patient Mom or Obama
St. Francis Healthcare System of Hawaii - Hawaii Never a patient Mom or Obama
Straub Heatlh - Honolulu, Hawaii Never a patient Mom or Obama
Tripler Medical Center - Honolulu, Hawaii Never a patient Mom or Obama
Wahiawa General Hospital - Wahiawa, Hawaii Never a patient Mom or Obama
Wilcox Memorial Hospital - Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii Never a patient Mom or Obama