[Med-privacy] Health IT Package (release)

[peter marshall]

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=A0=A0February 10, 2009
CONTACT:
Ashley Katz
Patient Privacy Rights
(512) 732-033 or (512) 897-6390
akatz@patientprivacyrights.org
http://www.patientprivacyrights.org/


PATIENT PRIVACY RIGHTS URGES CONGRESS TO CLOSE THE UNNECESSARY AND=20
DAMAGING INDUSTRY LOOPHOLES IN THE HEALTH IT PACKAGE FOR THE ECONOMIC=20
RECOVERY ACT.

Washington, DC -- There=92s a knock at your door. Your neighbor=20
accidently received your mail; the neighbor you carpool to work with.=20
You are horrified to see that the mail included an unsealed marketing=20
piece from the chain drug store that identifies that YOU take Paxil and=20=

perhaps you would be interested in trying the newest anti-depressant.

In the Senate version of the Economic Recovery Act, industry succeeded=20=

in weakening two important privacy protections that would go a long way=20=

to prevent this nightmarish scenario among many others. The House=20
passed HR 1 required corporations to obtain your permission before=20
sending any such marketing and also limited just how much money the=20
chain drug store or other corporation could make off of selling your=20
private medical information.

Americans are facing tough economic times and are eager for new jobs=20
and job security. As Congress works for a compromise between the House=20=

and Senate versions of the Economic Recovery Package, creating and=20
protecting jobs and ensuring basic economic protections for consumers=20
is the primary goal. =93Congress must close a number of the unnecessary=20=

and damaging loopholes designed by industry that have been added to the=20=

economic recovery package,=94 said Ashley Katz, Executive Director of=20
Patient Privacy Rights. =93These loopholes will destroy public trust in=20=

electronic health records and serve to protect a shadow market that=20
makes a tremendous profit by selling our private health records. Once=20
trust is gone---it will take years and billions more taxpayer dollars=20
to restore that trust.

Health IT can effect getting job and retaining them because it contains=20=

vast amounts of our most sensitive and personal information.=20
Information we might not even share with a spouse is currently being=20
sold without our permission, and the chain drug stores, pharmaceutical=20=

corporations, data miners and others are raking in billions. Insurance=20=

companies are also buying our medical records and using them to redline=20=

people and deny coverage.

Over 35% of Fortune 500 companies admitted to looking at employee=92s=20
health records before making hiring and promotion decisions (65 Fed.=20
Reg. 82,467). Our private health records can and do find themselves in=20=

the hands of our employers.

The House took a bold step to stop the flow of private medical records=20=

to those having nothing to do with making us healthier. Provisions to=20
prohibit the sale of health information and to limit marketing received=20=

overwhelming support from consumer and privacy advocates, unions,=20
social workers and many other providers. The public is outraged when=20
they learn their private medical records are sold and used for=20
marketing.

Claims that the protections limiting sale and marketing would prevent=20
refill reminders or other public health communications are patently=20
false. Congress must close these industry loopholes so that the strong,=20=

common sense consumer protections in the House passed HR 1 prevail.