Legislative Background
Recent Action on Medical Privacy Protection
The health care industry’s increasing reliance on electronictechnology, combined with advances in medical science affectingpersonal medical information, have caused concern among many Membersof Congress about the need to protect individuals’ health privacy.However, no legislation has been enacted to date that would establishclear guidelines for such protection.Passage of HIPAAIn 1996, Congress enacted the Health Insurance Portabilityand Accountability Act (HIPAA), allowing people to take theirhealth insurance with them when they change or lose their jobs.One of the Act’s provisions required the Secretary of the Departmentof Health and Human Services (HHS) to recommend to Congress waysto protect personally identifiable health information and to…
