The uproar about Obamacare notwithstanding, I, for one, am thankful for health insurance. COBRA's ridiculously expensive insurance offer following my lay off two years ago was a joke, so I resolved to go back to practicing DIY health care. Then along came Obamacare. As a frequent freelancer, I'm used to long stretches of time without health insurance, but this past year was different. For the most part, being covered has been a blessing.
For the most part. From the beginning there were several administrative glitches, the worst of which was being told on the day of an appointment that the doctor no longer carried my insurance, and unless I wanted to pay out of pocket, he wouldn't be able to see me.
"But my tooth is killing me!" I cried. "Why didn't someone call me?"
"Sorry," said the receptionist, who clearly was not sorry.
This happened to me twice in 2015, with two different doctors. It was stressful enough to have to find care on the fly, but now I'm also concerned about the security of my medical records as they travel from one office to the next. If, as the Associated Press reported, Healthcare.gov initially shared our private information with Google, Twitter, Yahoo, etc., and if it's true that health care organizations have not, by and large, built a secure infrastructure for our records, then what hope do we have for keeping our precious information safe?
Some doctors still maintain paper files on patients, some are migrating to digital, and others are fully online. Clearly there are plenty of fault lines in the system. The health care industry looks like one huge, lucrative data hunting ground for hackers.
HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act passed by Congress in 1996, is supposed to guarantee that
...health care providers and organizations, as well as their business associates, develop and follow procedures that ensure the confidentiality and security of protected health information (PHI) when it is transferred, received, handled, or shared. This applies to all forms of PHI, including paper, oral, and electronic, etc. Furthermore, only the minimum health information necessary to conduct business is to be used or shared.
According to a white paper by McAfee, the big cyber security company, "Patient confidentiality continues to grow as a leading concern for healthcare organizations." A study conducted by the Medical Identity Fraud Alliance (MIFA) found that more than two million patients were victims of identity theft in 2014. "Given the high volume of medical records and personal information leaked by healthcare providers and payers, organizations are now more focused on reducing how much unprotected PHI [Protected Health Information] they store and shrinking the target hackers go after so that fewer patients are exposed to the risks of medical identity fraud," says Todd Feinman, CEO, Identity Finder LLC.
One way information leakage occurs is in the day-to-day communications among medical professionals. In fact, another study found that 90 percent of health care organizations do not use HIPAA-compliant messaging apps. According to Ben Moore, Founder/CEO of TelMedIQ, a company that provides HIPAA-compliant communications solutions to the health care industry, opportunities for security breaches abound in the "tens of millions of phone calls that occur every day between doctors, nurses, and other clinicians throughout practices, hospitals, and healthcare systems. There are also huge volumes of patient calls to doctors and practices, some of which will go to voicemail. Patients will often leave PHI, which are HIPAA protected; however, voicemails, unlike other forms of communication, are not protected."
What we can do
After being dropped twice by doctors with no warning, I realized I was on my own. Ultimately we're all on our own. It's up to us, the health care consumers, to inform ourselves about what our doctors are doing to keep our medical records safe.
Erin Mackay, a health information technology specialist with the National Partnership for Women & Families, says the burden of protecting your sensitive personal information is on health care providers. She suggests changing doctors if you feel privacy standards are too lax.
If you have to leave a voicemail message for your doctor, do not mention any sensitive medical information. Remember, voicemails are not protected by HIPAA.
Protect the health information that you control. HealthIT.gov recommends the following:
- If you store health information on your personal computer or mobile device, exchange emails about it, or participate in health-related online communities, be smart about it. Simple tools like passwords can help keep your health information secure if your computer is lost or stolen.
File a complaint. If you believe your information was used or shared in a way that is not allowed under the HIPAA Rules, or if you were not able to exercise your rights, you can file a complaint with your provider or health insurer. The notice of privacy practices you receive from them will tell you how to file a complaint. You can also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights or your State's Attorneys General Office. If you believe that an online company that is not covered by HIPAA, such as a message board, has shared your health information in a way that conflicts with their privacy policy on their website, you can file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.