Major Issues - Medical Privacy

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Protecting Medical Privacy

Click here to find out more about how the Department of Health and Human Services is working to protect the privacy of medical information.

Resources from the Congressional Research Service:

Electronic Personal Health Records
(November 15, 2007)

Medical Records Privacy: Questions and Answers On The HIPAA Rule
(February 4, 2005)

The Congressional Research Service provides members of Congress with non-partisan research and analysis of legislation and issues. Sen. Leahy would like to make all of these reports available to the tax payer. You can read more about his efforts here. For now, the reports are available in PDF form to help you research this issue further.

Senator Leahy has long been a proponent of legislation and efforts to protect personal, financial, and especially medical privacy. The explosion of electronic health records, digital databases, and the Internet is fueling a growing supply and demand for Americans’ health information. The ability to easily access this information electronically can be very useful in providing more cost-effective healthcare. However, the use of advancing technologies to access and share confidential health information can also lead to a loss of personal privacy.

That is why Leahy is a co-sponsor, along with Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), of S.1814, the Health Information Privacy and Security Act of 2007. This comprehensive health privacy bill will ensure the privacy of personal health information for millions of Americans:

provide individuals with the right to inspect and copy his or her own health records.
allow patients to receive notice of the privacy rights and practices of data brokers and others who store this information.
places meaningful restrictions on the disclosure of sensitive health information
requires that patients be notified of a data security breach involving their health information.
contains meaningful civil and criminal enforcement provisions to discourage and punish the wrongful disclosure of Americans’ sensitive health information.

This bill is currently before the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. Click here to read more about this bill.

Learn more about Senator Leahy's efforts on medical privacy:

Release - Leahy, Kennedy Push To Protect The Privacy Of Patients - July 19, 2007
Release - Senate Judiciary Panel Passes Leahy-Specter Data Privacy And Security Bill - May 3, 2007
Press Release - Comment of Senator Patrick Leahy On The President’s Proposal To Weaken Standards For Medical Privacy - April 29, 2002
Statement - Reaction to Guidelines About the Medical Privacy Rule Issued by Secretary of HHS - July 6, 2001
Statement - Comments on Bush Administration's Decision to Implement Medical Privacy Rule - April 12, 2001
Letter to Secretary of HHS - Final Medical Privacy Rule - March 30, 2001
New Conference Sstatement - Medical Privacy Regulations - March 20, 2001
Letter to Secretary of HHS - Medical Privacy Regulations - March 20, 2001
Letter to President Bush - Final Medical Privacy Rule - Feb. 16, 2001
Hearing Statement - Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions - Feb. 8, 2001
Remarks - Medical Privacy Summit - Feb. 5, 2001
Statement - Comment on the Final Rule on Medical Privacy - Dec. 20, 2000
Letter to Secretary of HHS - Proposed Medical Privacy Rule - February 17, 2000
Press Release - Senate Democrats Form Privacy Task Force...Panel will focus on Internet, financial and medical records privacy - February 09, 2000
Hearing Statement - Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions - April 27, 1999
Floor statement - Medical Information Privacy And Security Act - March 10, 1999
Speech - Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center 1998 Koop Lecture Series - May 26, 1998
Hearing Statement - Committee on Labor and Human Resources - February 26, 1998
Section-by-Section - Medical Information Privacy and Security Act (S 1368) - December 2, 1997
Bill Summary - Medical Information Privacy and Security Act (S 1368) - November 4, 1997
Floor Statement - Medical Information Privacy and Security Act (S 1368) - November 4, 1997
Hearing Statement - Committee on Labor and Human Resources - October 28, 1997