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January 29, 2009
Economic stimulus? Feds Want Your Medical Records
Economic stimulus? Feds want your medical records
A little-discussed provision in President Obama's economic stimulus plan would demand that every American submit to a government program for electronic medical records without a choice to opt out, and it has privacy advocates more than a little alarmed.
Patients might be alarmed, too, privacy advocates said, if they realized information such as documentation on abortions, mental health problems, impotence, being labeled as a non-compliant patient, lawsuits against doctors and sexual problems could be shared electronically with, perhaps, millions of people.
Sue A. Blevins, president of the Institute for Health Freedom, said unless people have the right to decide "if and when" their health information is shared, there is no real privacy.
"President Obama has pledged to advance freedom," she said. "Therefore the freedom to choose not to participate in a national electronic health-records system must be upheld."
Blevins' organization, one of the few raising the alarm at this point, said the stimulus plan would impose an electronic health records system on every person in the U.S. without any provision for seeking patient consent or allowing them not to participate.
"Without those protections, Americans' electronic health records could be shared – without their consent – with over 600,000 covered entities through the forthcoming nationally linked electronic health-records network," Blevins said.
The organization said Americans who care about health privacy should contact members of Congress and the president to let them know about the need for opt-out and consent provisions.
According to the institute, the measure currently includes plans for:
* An electronic health record "for each person in the United States by 2014."
* A national coordinator to develop a "nationwide health information technology infrastructure that allows for the electronic use and exchange of information."
The institute said the medical privacy rule established under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 already allows personal health information to be passed along without patient consent for treatment, payment and "oversight." The recipients of such information could be any of the people in the 600,000 organizations in the industry.
"Nobody wants to stop the proper use of good technology," Blevins said, "and for some people privacy is not an issue."
But she said the bottom line is that patients "would end up losing control of his or her personal health information."
"There's a lot at stake with electronically transferring health data and paying claims within the $2.2 trillion healthcare industry," warned the organization, which works on issues of health freedom in the U.S.
Another group, Consumer Watchdog, even suggested today Google is trying to lobby for the "sale of electronic medical records."
The group said, "Reportedly Google is pushing for the provisions so it may sell patient medical information to its advertising clients on the new 'Google Health' database."
Consumer Watchdog said, "Americans will benefit from an integrated system capable of making our medical records available wherever we may need them, but only if the system is properly used.
"The medical technology portion of the economic stimulus bill does not sufficiently protect patient privacy, and recent amendments have made this situation worse. Medical privacy must be strengthened before the measure's final passage," the group said.
Classifying of people could lead to "discrimination and prejudice. … People can look at data about you and make assessments ultimately of who you are."
The Heartland Regional Genetics and Newborn Screening is one of the organizations that advocates more screening and research.
The group proclaims in its vision statement a desire to see newborns screened for 200 conditions. It also forecasts "every student … with an individual program for education based on confidential interpretation of their family medical history, their brain imaging, their genetic predictors of best learning methods. …"
Further, every individual should share information about "personal and family health histories" as well as "gene tests for recessive conditions and drug metabolism" with the "other parent of their future children."
Still further, it seeks "ecogenetic research that could improve health, lessen disability, and lower costs for sickness."
"They want to test every child for 200 conditions, take the child's history and a brain image, and genetics, and come up with a plan for that child," Brase said at the time. "They want to learn their weaknesses and defects.
"Nobody including and especially the government should be allowed to create such extensive profiles," she said.
The next step, said Brase, is obvious: The government, with information about potential health weaknesses, could say to couples, "We don't want your expensive children."
"I think people have forgotten about eugenics. The fact of the matter is that the eugenicists have not gone away. Newborn genetic testing is the entry into the 21st Century version of eugenics," she said.
Wild Thing's comment...........
Wow, what a difference a week makes!!!!
What a sick miserable world these jerks are trying to create. And the things they said about children is dangerous and VERY scary.
If this one aspect of the plan was broadcast on every news channel, the uproar would be tremendous.
.
....Thank you Mark for sending this to me.
Mark
3rd Mar.Div. 1st Battalion 9th Marine Regiment
1/9 Marines aka The Walking Dead
VN 66-67
Posted by Wild Thing at January 29, 2009 03:47 AM
Comments
Fascinating, especially since the Chosen One refused to release his medical records.
Posted by: Blankman at January 29, 2009 07:51 AM
But we MUST make sure the Islamofascists have their RIGHTS!
Margeret Sanger would be proud...
Posted by: yankeemom at January 29, 2009 10:09 AM
Welcome Folks. To the real Orwellian 1984. This group of Democrats are honest to gosh Socialists. We are seeing an assault on American liberties, freedoms and rights like has never happened here before.
Obama is thinking like the chancellor of East Germany in 1961. He wants a wall to go up between us subjects and our Constitution. Obama, Pelosi, Reid and their crew of thugs want total government control of our lives. The sad thing is that a lot of unthinking or weak Americans would be satisfied with this. Many of these are people who pay no tax. They think everything from the government is free. They don't realize that the cost of a growing government is freedom. They become so dependent on government that they don't have the sense to get out of the way of a hurricane.
Posted by: TomR at January 29, 2009 10:10 AM
The Usurper is forging ahead at flank speed to the left, faster and faster. Except for the difference in language, we will be the next Soviet Union. A sister state in the world of Communism. Where there is no Liberty and all our decisions will be made for us.
Posted by: Mark at January 29, 2009 12:58 PM
Sounds like Big Brother Barack Obama and millions of other people will be able to (legally, illegally, or hacking) look at your private medical records without the prior approval of a FISA-like court protecting your personal privacy rights.
Can you imagine the outrage if George Bush or any Republican pulled a potential wiretapping-like invasion of personal privacy stunt like that?
http://www.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/wiretaps.jpg
Posted by: Les at January 29, 2009 04:13 PM
Well then I'll die of pneumonia before I go to the hospital. I've always hated doctors anyway. Hopefully when the whole "stimulus package" ends up on its fat ass the WHOLE thing will be scrapped.
Posted by: JohnE PFC U.S. Army at January 29, 2009 05:17 PM
When I say "Live Free Or Die" I f*cking mean it. What I'm wondering is how they are going to get this past the ACLU et al., even I am more than willing to think that even they would not stand for this BS. Politics does indeed make strange bedfellows.
Posted by: JohnE PFC U.S. Army at January 29, 2009 06:09 PM
How easy is it now when you go see a specialist to have your Dr. get thgem the pertinent information. Very easy. The government does not need to know or get involved and this is will just be another high cost government program managed by incompetent government officials intruding on your personal information.
Posted by: Bob A at January 29, 2009 06:40 PM
Blankman, exactly, Obama is the prince of double standard. Do as I say not as I do on this medical documents thing. Thanks for pointing that out about Obama.
Posted by: Wild Thing at January 29, 2009 07:10 PM
Yankeemom, oh yes, they have to get first class treatment and care. Well the music might be a problem they do sooooo hate the music our troops play for them. hahaahahaa
Posted by: Wild Thing at January 29, 2009 07:15 PM
Tom, well said!!
"This group of Democrats are honest to gosh Socialists".....and they are working overtime to do this so quickly too. I thought it would happen slowly all their plans coming about.
Posted by: Wild Thing at January 29, 2009 07:20 PM
Mark, yes, they are doing all of this so fast. I sure was wrong, I thought they would do this stuff slowly, but they are gulping up our country's freedoms, Constitution and spitting it out.
Posted by: Wild Thing at January 29, 2009 07:25 PM
Les, good graphic, yes they complained about the wire tapping to catch terrorists or to know about possible attacks again. But it is ok with these communists to have us all under their thumb.
Posted by: Wild Thing at January 29, 2009 07:28 PM
JohnE PFC U.S. Army, I totally hate this.
I wonder if maybe being in the military it will be different I am not sure how they plan on this whole thing working.
They should leave our military alone and not mess with their snooping on them. We would not have our country if it was not for our Veterans and military today.
Posted by: Wild Thing at January 29, 2009 07:35 PM
Bob A., what is also scary is why are they so obsessed about the children. What would be their plans for them.
Posted by: Wild Thing at January 29, 2009 07:39 PM
