Your Private Medical Records Are Being Sold to Drug Companies
Not only are your private medical records being sold to drug companies, but half of all US states leave enough information in the records that YOU can be clearly identified. Hospitals and other medical organizations are supposed to be bound by HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) to keep medical records private. Patient information that is shared is supposed to be stripped of key identifying information (this is known as the Safe Harbor rule). However, HIPAA and other privacy legislation is riddled with so many loopholes that it has been estimated that over 800,000 organizations can access your private records.