Health Care — Dems urge stronger HIPAA protections

Presented by AstraZeneca — A congressional inquiry found major pharmacy chains made patient records available to law enforcement without a warrant.

View Online Health Care Health Care PRESENTED BY  The Big Story  Dems call for stronger HIPAA protections on records given to law enforcement  Major pharmacy chains made patients' prescription records easy to access for law enforcement agencies, with most forgoing legal review or telling customers their info had been requested by authorities, according to a congressional inquiry. © AP The Democratic-led, bicameral inquiry into patient privacy found that seven major pharmacy chains and Amazon Pharmacy provided patient prescription records to law enforcement without warrants.     The pharmacy chains included CVS Health, Walgreens Boots Alliance, Cigna, Optum Rx, Walmart Stores, Inc., The Kroger Company and Rite Aid Corporation.    Of those that were surveyed by lawmakers, Amazon Pharmacy was the only one that said it had a policy of informing customers when their records were requested.   Three of the pharmacy chains — CVS Health, The Kroger Co. and Rite Aid Corp — said they allowed their staff to handle records requests in-store without a legal professional reviewing them.    They argued their staff are under pressure to respond to law enforcement immediately.    CVS Health said in a statement that its method for handling records request is compliant with HIPAA policy and aligns with "industry practices."    HIPAA-covered entities like health insurers and providers can disclose protected health information to law enforcement under certain circumstances, including in response to a subpoena or if the entity believes the information is linked to a crime.    Amazon noted in a statement on Tuesday that "requests from law enforcement are rare, and represent a very small percentage of the prescriptions we fill for customers."    Democratic Reps. Pramila Jayapal (Wash.), Sara Jacobs (Calif.) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) called on the Department of Health and Human Services to update HIPAA policy so that it reflects "Americans' reasonable expectations of privacy and Constitutional principles."    They argued that pharmacies should insist on warrants from law enforcement, noting that many records are turned over in response to just a subpoena that does not have to be reviewed by a judge before it's issued.    Around the time of this inquiry, CVS, Walgreens and Kroger committed to publishing annual transparency reports on law enforcement requests for patient records. CVS's first report will be published in the first quarter of 2024.  Welcome to The Hill's Health Care newsletter, we're Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads  How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond: Arizona Supreme Court hears arguments over future of abortion ban The future of abortion rights in Arizona is now in the hands of the state Supreme Court, which heard arguments Tuesday over whether a Civil War-era law banning almost all abortions supersedes current law.  The case is not about whether there is a right to an abortion in the state, but rather how the court should interpret conflicting statutes.   Currently, abortion is banned in Arizona after 15 weeks under a law signed …  Full Story Nearly half of 5 million veterans screened found to have potential toxic substance exposure Nearly half of the 5 million veterans that have been screened by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) under a new law have reported at least one possible exposure to toxic substances during their military service. 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Give Them Hope.  In Other News  Branch out with a different read from The Hill: Tammy Duckworth calls Texas GOP treatment of Kate Cox 'horrific' Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) called out Texas Republicans on Monday for their treatment of Kate Cox, a pregnant woman who fled the state to obtain an abortion procedure after her fetus was diagnosed with a fatal condition, referring to it as "horrific."  Full Story Around the Nation  Local and state headlines on health care: State, local health leaders clash over funds for regional communication (NJ Spotlight News)  Most kids in WA still aren't tested for lead, despite risks (The Seattle Times)  Hundreds of DC's Medicaid nursing home patients sent to Maryland (NBC Washington)  What We're Reading  Health news we've flagged from other outlets: US diabetes patients face delays as insurers tighten Ozempic coverage (Reuters)  People with disabilities hope autonomous vehicles deliver independence (KFF Health News)  New drugs can fix teenage obesity, but young people don't get them (The New York Times)  Bone marrow transplant advance could widen use of this less buzzy cure for sickle cell disease (Stat)  What Others are Reading  Most read stories on The Hill right now: Senate Democrats press Thomas to recuse himself from Trump immunity case  Senate Democrats are calling on conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from ruling on former President Trump's claim … Read more Fallout rises from McCarthy handshake deal with White House Lawmakers in both parties are growing increasingly concerned about where a handshake deal between the White House and former Speaker Kevin McCarthy … Read more What People Think  Opinions related to health submitted to The Hill: This is bigger than COVID: Why are so many Americans dying early? Fatal Attraction: The seductive appeal of irrationality, anti-science and toxic extremism   You're all caught up. See you tomorrow!  Check out The Hill's Health Care page for the latest coverage. Like this newsletter? Take a moment to view our other topical products here 📩 Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  1625 K Street NW, 9th Floor, Washington, DC 20006 Copyright © 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved.

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