Re: ALERT! Privacy Legislations About to be subverted...

[Lewis Lorton <llorton@hostnet.org>]

  Actually Alex is referring to the Administrative Simplification Provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (H.R.3103) enacted into law by President Clinton's signature on August 21, just over three weeks ago.  
  
  This Bill snuck through town with about as much secrecy, at least around here, as a Miss America contest or a mid-size presidential convention.  There were stories, editorials and op-eds in both the Washington and Baltimore papers - mentions in all news magazines, major blather around in all the medical trade press and presentations at medical and computer informatics meetings.
  
  Rather than an executive order from the President, this is legislation which was 4 years in construction and passage and which passed overwhelmingly in both houses of Congress.  The specific provisions that Alex refers to are gathered under Title F Administrative  Simplification.
  
  Read the actual text of the bill rather than relying on 2nd or 3d hand hyperbole.  Alex is overheating about provisions that don't exist in the language or intent of the bill.
  
  You can find more information about the new law at (http://thomas.loc.gov), by downloading it from ftp://ftp.loc.gov/pub/thomas/c104/h3103.enr.txt) or reading the Congressional Record H9473-9564.
  
  I did hear, however, that the final versions of the bill were dropped into Senate and Congressional offices by masked men from unmarked black helicopters.
  
  Lew Lorton
  
  
  
  At 02:08 PM 9/9/96 -0400, METRA1001@aol.com wrote:
  >Prepare for the proctologist, all privacy advocates.
  >
  >Check this out. The Administration, through it's quiet channels, has
  >initiated an executive order and initiative called "THE ADMINISTRATION
  >SIMPLIFICATION BILL"
  >
  >Sounds innocuous enough? Right? Wrong.
  >
  >This bill, proposed by none other than the head of HHS, will grant  9-18
  >months for privacy bills to be passed thru congress. At the end of the
  >specified time, the simplification bill will take effect, and MANDATE that
  >ALL medical entries will be forced to be turned over to the  government,
  >probably the NIIT or the other 100 or so information sellers, for the
  >NATIONAL MEDICAL DATABASE, REGARDLESS OF WHAT POLITICIANS, ADVOCATES, OR
  >PHYSICIANS THINK OR WANT.
  >
  >IN OTHER WORDS, THESE GUYS WILL GET THEIR WAY REGARDLESS. Never mind the fact
  >that the various interests pro and con, have fought and brought the bills to
  >a standstill. According to this maneuver, the heck with legislators, they
  >will ram their system down our throats either way.
  >
  >If this is not a privacy nightmare, nothing is. Anyone wanting  details,
  >please contact me personally off the list, and I will cite sources, and tell
  >you how you can stay on top of this ridiculous and blatant stiff arm to the
  >interests of citizens.
  >
  >alex
  >
  >