Republicans Offer Privacy Bill for Health Data

No, not the data collected by doctors and hospitals. That data is already protected by HIPAA.

Actually, the amount of data protected by HIPAA is dwarfed by the amount of data NOT protected by HIPAA.

The not protected category – that includes everything from smart watches to period tracking apps. And a lot more. These apps often sell your data and use it for purposes you never considered.

Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) introduced a bill last week that would protect that data.

That period tracking app that I was talking about above. One of them is called Flo. They sold your data to Meta. You can guess what Meta wanted it for.

The bill, titled the Health Information Privacy Reform Act, would force health technology companies – those not covered by HIPAA, to tell consumers how their data is gathered and shared.

The bill, assuming it becomes law, would allow HHS and the FTC to create regulations that are at least commensurate with HIPAA and HITECH.

The regulations would define permitted and prohibited uses. and disclosures.

Individuals would now have specific rights regarding their health information, including the right to access, amend, delete and get a copy of their data.

In the case of a breach, companies would have to follow HIPAA-like notification rules. HHS and the FTC could use the existing HIPAA penalty structure to fine companies.

Interestingly, the bill would require studying the feasibility of compensating patients for sharing their data for research purposes.

If state laws are stronger, they will take precedence.

We will see how this goes but assume the lobbyists will throw a lot of money at killing this. Cassidy is a doctor, so he could be a strong advocate for the bill.

The bill is Senate 25-929. We will watch it.

Credit: The Record

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