Will National Health Care Reveal Your Medical Secrets?
Patient Privacy Rights is “the nation’s leading medical privacy watchdog organization.” Founded by Dr. Deborah Peel, the NGO’s mission is “to educate and empower Americans to preserve and protect their fundamental human and civil rights to medical privacy.”
PPR is concerned by the lack of privacy in Sen. Clinton’s proposed national health care plan. Specifically, PPR explains that “Senator Clinton’s 2007 Wired for Healthcare Quality Act left in place the same loopholes as other similar legislative efforts that in effect facilitate data mining of our most intimate health secrets to those with no real interest in our care.”
Consumers are encouraged by PPR to “look for the fine print in all the presidential proposals to determine whether their plans adhere to the 2007 privacy principles developed by the Coalition for Patient Privacy...” which emphasize ensuring each person’s control over the acquisition, uses and disclosures of their medical information.
Expansion of health care services will be a major policy goal of the next Administration irrespective of who is elected. Assessing the privacy implications of proposed health policies will be an ongoing project of WatchDogWatch.org.
See Patient Privacy Rights Press Release
See Coalition for Patient Privacy
