Minneapolis/Saint Paul - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has just awarded $38.1 million to facilitate the sharing of private patient data with government. This is a violation of the patient's Fourth Amendment privacy rights, says Citizens' Council on Health Care (CCHC).

Twila Brase, president of CCHC makes the following statements:

"This is not about bioterrorism. The government's real intent is 24/7 surveillance of people through their medical records.

"The CDC, along with state health departments, intend to gain electronic access to medical records for the purpose of surreptitiously conducting research and 'sentinel surveillance' not just on infectious diseases, but on any medical condition they choose, including chronic or genetic diseases. Because of the so-called HIPAA privacy rule, no patient consent is required.

"The CDC is using millions of federal taxpayer dollars to deprive citizens of their Fourth Amendment right to privacy. With the government's eyes electronically ensconced in the patient's medical record, no person can ever feel secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects. This is most definitely unreasonable search and seizure.

"The government's "public health" exemption to patient consent is a travesty. It becomes clearer every day how the HIPAA privacy rule has subverted the individual's constitutional privacy rights, not protected them."

e-Health Smart Brief - March 21, 2008

Twila Brase is president of Citizens' Council on Health Care. She can be reached at 651-646-8935 office.