----- Forwarded Message ---- From: Institute for Health Freedom <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, February 08, 2006 5:58:23 PM Subject: Congress to Vote on Important Health-Privacy Bill
News Alert from the Institute for Health Freedom For Immediate Release: February 8, 2006 Contact: Sue Blevins, 202/429-6610 Congress Could Vote Soon on a Bill that Abolishes State Health-Privacy Rights Act Now to Voice Your Own Opinion about H.R. 4157 Washington, D.C.Congress may vote this week on a bill that could seriously weaken or eliminate Americans health privacy. H.R. 4157 is titled the Health Information Technology Promotion Act of 2005. Here is what all citizensand members of Congress voting on the billshould know about H.R. 4157: It could seriously weaken or eliminate Americans health privacy by granting the HHS Secretary legal authority to (1) preempt state laws ensuring privacy rights and (2) establish a federal standard that does not guarantee the right to consent (to give or withhold ones consent before ones personal health information is shared with others). Thus, if citizens cannot decide who can see their personal health information, they have no true privacy rights. It grants enormous federal power to a single federal employeethe National Coordinator for Health Information Technologywho is appointed by the President of the United States. The Coordinator oversees the development of the Nationwide Interoperable Health Information Technology Infrastructurea de facto national database for storing and sharing citizens electronic medical records. Also, the Coordinator is granted authority to contract with private medical organizations to assist with developing and utilizing the forthcoming national electronic medical-records system. H.R. 4157 includes language that sounds like it will offer confidentiality. Members of Congress and their staff, who have not read the HIPAA federal medical privacy rule in its entirety and havent been tracking the issue for years, may not realize that H.R. 4157 could actually strip citizens of their state health-privacy rights/freedom to consent. The bottom line is that giving the federal government the power to decide who can see individuals personal health information is not true health privacy. Rather, its actually an infringement on individuals privacy and liberty! Concerned citizens should call their U.S. Representatives as soon as possible and voice their own opinions about H.R. 4157. The main Capitol Hill switchboard phone number is: (202) 225-3121. To read the complete bill (H.R. 4157), visit the congressional legislative database http://thomas.loc.gov and search for the bill number "H.R. 4157". For information about how the HIPAA federal medical privacy rule eliminates patient consent, and thereby eliminates health privacy, see: http://www.forhealthfreedom.org/Publications/Privacy/MedicalPrivacyBrochure.pdf http://www.forhealthfreedom.org/Publications/Privacy/PrivacyPerils.html The Institute for Health Freedom (IHF) is a national nonprofit, educational organization whose mission is to bring the issues of personal health freedom to the forefront of the American health-policy debate. IHF monitors and reports on national policies that affect citizens' freedom to choose their health-care treatments and providers, and to maintain their health privacy—including genetic privacy. IHF is not affiliated with any other organization. If you received this email alert from IHF and wish to UNSUBSCRIBE, send a message titled unsubscribe to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] If you received this email alert from a friend and wish to SUBSCRIBE, click here to sign up for IHF's email alerts: http://www.forhealthfreedom.org/Newsletter/index.html#ANNOUNCE [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ForumWebSiteAt http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Libertarian Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Libertarian/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
