Re: ACLU: more on proposed Fed. rules

[elawton@orionsci.com (Lawton, Ed)]

Please

Keep the ACLU out of this.  The last people in the world I want involved with my medical records in any
capacity is this left wing organization.  Perhaps I should ask, what are they bringing to the table that is
constructive and not confrontational, something they are very good at!  I also do not think it is appropriate
to associate "...the ACLU and many Americans..." as if they are synonymous.  They are not.

Ed Lawton
Virginia

Peter Marshall wrote:

> 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.