May 25, 1999
Statement of Rep. Henry A. Waxman
on the introduction of the
Health Privacy Information Act of 1999

I am pleased to join Reps. Gary Condit, Ed Markey, John Dingell, Sherrod Brown, Jim Turner, and my other colleagues in introducing the Health Information Privacy Act of 1999.  There is an urgent need for Congress to enact legislation to protect the privacy of medical records.  We have worked hard to develop a consensus approach to achieve this goal.

Health records contain some of our most personal information.  Unfortunately, there is no comprehensive federal law that protects the privacy of medical records.  As a result, we face a constant threat of serious privacy intrusions.  Our records can be bought and sold for commercial gain, disclosed to employers, and used to deny us insurance.  There have been numerous disturbing reports of such inappropriate use and disclosure of health information.

When individuals have inadequate control over their health information, our health care system as a whole suffers.  For example, a recent survey by the California HealthCare Foundation found that one out of every seven adults has done something "out of the ordinary" to keep health information confidential, including steps such as giving inaccurate information to their providers or avoiding care altogether.

The Health Information Privacy Act would protect the privacy of health information and ensure that individuals have appropriate control over their health records.  It is based on three fundamental principles.   First, health information should not be used or disclosed without the authorization or knowledge of the individual, except in narrow circumstances where there is an overriding public interest.  Second, individuals should have fundamental rights regarding their health records, such as the right to access, copy, and amend their records, and the opportunity to seek protection for especially sensitive information.  Third, federal legislation should provide a "floor," not a "ceiling," so that states and the Secretary of Health and Human Services can establish additional protections as appropriate.

Congress faces an August 21 deadline for passing comprehensive legislation to protect the privacy of health information.  I am very pleased to have come together with Mr. Condit, Mr. Markey, Mr. Dingell, Mr. Brown, and Mr. Turner in developing this commonsense legislation.  These members have been leaders in health care and privacy issues for years.  As a result of their expertise and insight, I believe we have produced a consensus bill that colleagues with a wide spectrum of perspectives can support. 

A recent editorial in the Los Angeles Times exhorted Congress to "fulfill its promise to pass the nation's first medical privacy bill."  It called for legislators in both houses to "embrace [this] compromise language" that my colleagues and I have drafted. 

I hope that my colleagues will join with us in cosponsoring this legislation, and I look forward to working with them to ensure that Congress meets its responsibility to address this important issue.

Read the one-page overview of the bill
Read the more in-depth summary and the bill itself
Read the Dear Colleague letter on the bill

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