Health Privacy Rights

Do you think that you have a federal right to health privacy? If so, you might be surprised to learn that under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) medical privacy rule, your personal health information—including past records—can be disclosed to more than 600,000 organizations without your consent.

• How did this federal rule come about?
• Who was behind it and lobbied for it?
• Who has access to your health information without your consent?
• What can you do to protect your medical privacy?

Become informed about your privacy rights—or lack thereof—under the federal HIPAA rule by reading "What Every American Needs to Know about the HIPAA Medical Privacy Rule."

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(Summary updated March 2010)