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Proposed bills would restrict access to medical recordsBy Jonathan Aiken/CNN
April 27, 1999 WASHINGTON (April 27) -- As more patients are learning, often the hard way, 'confidential' does not necessarily mean confidential when it comes to medical records. But new congressional legislation may make it tougher for prying eyes to look at private medical information. Take Stephen Bridges. He is HIV positive, something he wanted kept secret when he was diagnosed 15 years ago. But a staff worker in his doctors' office read Bridges' file, sharing his secret with a group of mutual friends. Stories like that -- and cases of prospective employers learning a person's medical history -- are among the reasons three bills have been introduced in Congress to ensure the privacy of a patient's medical records. "This bill means that your medical records will be kept more confidential than they are now, fewer people will have access to them than they have now but you will have access to them which you may not have now," said Sen. Bob Bennett (R-Utah), the chief sponsor of the "The Medical Information Protection Act of 1999." In general, the bills would limit access to a patients' medical records to health care providers, insurers, and in some cases, employers. Currently no federal law restricts the flow of this kind of information. Another privacy issue begins with a patient's prescription. Once Bridges got his prescriptions filled, he started getting mail from drug makers offering different treatments -- and a variety of other solicitations. All three proposals would keep personal information out of the hands of marketing companies. The measures also address the legitimate needs of medical researchers who need access to patient data in order to conduct their studies, while insuring a patient's privacy. Legislation passed three years ago gave Congress until this August to come up with privacy guidelines. If Congress doesn't act by then the Clinton Adminstration is required by law to create its own proposals and enact them by executive order. |
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MORE STORIES:Tuesday, April 27, 1999
Clinton: New weapon controls can 'make a difference' Transcript: President Bill Clinton announces crime bill Proposed bills would restrict access to medical records Congress prepares for medical, legal ramifications of Y2K bug Government would pay poor people to save under new proposal Starr wants to question McDougal jurors Supreme Court ponders gambling ads GOP plans national conference on youth Florida could become first with statewide education vouchers Lawmakers debate cost of HMO bill Clinton proposal would restrict explosives, guns |