NEGATIVE — MEDICAL — SOLVENCY 245

CREATION OF A PROTECTED FEDERAL MEDICAL DATABASE IS NOT THE ANSWER TO PRIVACY PROBLEMS

MASSIVE FEDERAL MEDICAL DATA BANK WILL BENEFIT BIG INSURANCE COMPANIES AND THE GOVERNMENT AT THE EXPENSE OF PERSONAL MEDICAL PRIVACY

Kelly Patricia O'Meara; Insight on the News, February 14, 2000, Pg. 18, TITLE: Public Comment on Medical Records // acs-EE2001

He believes the push for slipping all of this through comes from "big insurance companies who are in bed with the government" and calls it a "fascist system having nothing to do with the quality of medical care. It comes from government rules and laws and it's the government and insurance companies who will benefit from the information gathered on this massive data bank. These regulations not only strip individuals of any ability to determine for themselves how best to protect their medical privacy, they also create a privileged class of people with a federally guaranteed right to see an individual's medical records without the individual's consent."

AS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT GETS MORE INVOLVED IN HEALTH CARE, IT WANTS CITIZENS TO SURRENDER MEDICAL PRIVACY

Kelly Patricia O'Meara; Insight on the News, February 14, 2000, Pg. 18, TITLE: Public Comment on Medical Records // acs-EE2001

According to Paul, who is also a physician, "the government manages and pays for medical care to an increasing number of people and Americans are sort of in the middle. One theory is that the consequence of having the government pay for the health care is that at some point they believe i the American people will have to make a trade-off - give something up for that benefit." What the regulators have in mind to be surrendered is the medical privacy of every American. This is why Paul is concerned most about that "unique health identifier" and has introduced legislation, HR 220, which effectively would repeal this portion of the HIPAA legislation.