They can ask you for all sorts of private do what they want with people’s private health info.
BUCKS COUNTY BEACON – Here’s Why a Watchdog Group Is Urging Pennsylvania Officials to Investigate an Anti-Abortion Crisis Pregnancy Center Advocates argue it’s time to finally hold CPCs like Scranton-based Options Women’s Center accountable for their business practices. by Mindy Isser | January 3, 2025 Crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs), non-profit organizations created by anti-abortion groups in an attempt to steer women away from abortion, have been part of the reproductive health landscape in North America since the 1960s. Abortion activists have long sounded the alarm about CPCs’ deceptive practices, like advertising to people who are young, poor, and/or non-native English speakers; distributing false medical information; and pretending personal health information is covered under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) when it is in fact not. Women’s rights and other organizations have attempted to hold CPCs accountable by forcing them to be more honest about the services they do and do not provide, including right here in Pennsylvania. CPCs’ goal is to provide alternatives to abortion, but you wouldn’t know it from looking at their websites. Anti-CPC advocates say that the issue is not the belief system of being anti-abortion, but their deceptive methods.
They are NOT covered by HIPAA.
And for pity’s sake I wish people would learn what HIPAA actually is already. It seems like at least monthly I hear about someone citing HIPAA in some bizarre, inappropriate and inaccurate way. Many people assume that all your health data is just protected just because it is health data. In fact, only certain entities are required to adhere to HIPAA. And bonus – once your health data is stolen in a data breach – there is apparently no law against data brokers buying and selling your healthcare information right down to identifying your home residence address with it.
Your healthcare data is out there. Your mental healthcare data is out there. There are mental health data brokers, this is the reality. Chloe Humbert May 31, 2024 Your health data is out there. This isn’t a maybe. It’s been confirmed by researchers who have themselves dealt with data brokers.
I’ve been informed that my medical data was stolen in multiple healthcare company and hospital breaches across two different countries. Who hasn’t these days? It’s all out there.