US Approves New Guidelines For Medical Privacy

Posted by michael on Friday December 22, 2000 @12:48AM from the in-the-insurance-industry,-everyone-knows-you're-an-AIDS-patient dept.

iElucidate writes: "Mindwire.org is reporting on the adoption by the US Department of Health and Human Services of guidelines for privacy of personal medical records. In 1996 Congress mandated the creation of medical privacy standards by the end of 1999. Since Congress did not act, responsibility went to the Department of Health, which drafted a standard, gave a year for public comment, and finally approved it for use. The new standard requires that hospitals and HMOs keep information secure, and requires stiff penalties for the release of unauthorized information. Finally, no more employers snooping on employees psych. records. About bloody time!" The Department of Health and Human Services issued a fact sheet summarizing the new regulations.

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High Time, but too late for some. by LauraLolly · 2000-12-21 21:01 · Score: 4

These regulations are too late for many people, as a news brief on firing by genetype makes clear in this month's Scientific American.
Although it may be illegal by the ADA, I know of people who were not hired because of health info, and I know another who was denied a mortgage because of a heart ailment.
May this help others in like case.