Andrew Pollack reports in the New York Times: Congress reached an agreement clearing the way for a bill to prohibit discrimination by employers and health insurers on the basis of genetic tests. Senator Tom Coburn, an Oklahoma Republican who had been almost single-handedly holding up action on the bill, said in an interview Tuesday that…
Author: Dissent
Ca: Brampton teen's suicide tied to privacy law
Once again, a school believes that they cannot divulge a student’s mental health issues to the student’s parents. And once again, the results are disastrous for the student…. Robyn Doolittle reports in the Toronto Star: Although the school was aware Nadia Kajouji had been suffering from depression, privacy laws prevented counsellors from contacting the girl’s…
TX: Social Security Numbers Exposed On Hospital Bills
Lauren Grover reports in the Tyler Morning Telegraph: Some 2,000 medical bills were mailed around East Texas last week with patients’ Social Security numbers visible on the envelope after a technical glitch skewed billing at the collection agency used by the University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler. Chief Operating Officer Rob Marshall at…
Update: Gay Patient To Sue Hospital, Medical Team Over 'YouTube' Video
Preciosa Dumlao writes for AHN News: A gay patient from central Philippines is set to file formal charges against doctors and nurses of a hospital who posted over the Internet video-sharing site YouTube, a video of a medical procedure where doctors removed a perfume canister from his rectum. […] [The victim’s lawyer, Guiller] Ceniza did…
Hackers Breach System At UMass
Lesley Tanner of CBS reports: Hackers breached the computer system used by UMass Amherst’s Health Services, potentially gaining access to thousands of medical records. More than half of the student population at UMass Amherst are patients on record at the University Health Services. […] Though many of the most personal medical records are kept on…
Snowe's genetic privacy bill wins support
The Portland Press Herald reports: Senate Democrats and Republicans struck a deal on Tuesday to consider landmark legislation protecting genetic privacy. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Olympia Snowe, a Republican, would prevent health insurance companies and employers from discriminating against those who could be predisposed to a disease or illness based on a genetic test….