ACLU: more on proposed Fed. rules

[Peter Marshall <techdiff@ix.netcom.com>]

November 18, 1999
> 
> For years, the ACLU and many Americans have long contended that patients -
> not insurance companies or marketers - own their medical records.  Despite
> many attempts, there are currently no national standards regarding medical
> records privacy.
> 
> As Congress winds down its 1999 session, the ACLU has begun to change its
> focus on this issue to the White House, where the Clinton administration
> has drafted guidelines to protect the sanctity of the doctor/patient
> relationship.
> 
> President Clinton unveiled his proposed privacy regulations on October 29
> after Congress failed to meet its own deadline to produce a proposal.  The
> ACLU views the Administrationšs proposed regulations as an important first
> step in a process that we hope will lead to comprehensive medical privacy
> protections.
> 
> But the Administration's regulations have serious flaws and must be
> strengthened to guarantee our medical privacy!
> 
>  The President's announcement marked the beginning of a public
> comment period that is scheduled to last until January 3, 2000.  

> http://www.aclu.org/congress/medregs.html
> 
> In addition, we will be launching an online mini-campaign in December
> highlighting the ACLU's specific concerns....  The feature will focus on law enforcement issues, patient
> consent for access to medical records, and the creation of government
> databases with private medical records.  Additionally, the section will
> also collect and highlight horror stories that profile various violations
> of Americans' medical records privacy.