Privacy issues are getting top billing lately with increasing cases of identity theft, corporate mishandling of sensitive data, and legislature like the Patriot Act. Still most Americans are blissfully unaware of laws that protect sensitive health information. Many of us remember inappropriate HIV disclosure cases, but that was simply the tip of the iceberg.

Check out examples of privacy abuses that will make you cringe. How about the banker who also served on his county's health board cross-referenced customer accounts with patient information - then called due the mortgages of anyone suffering from cancer (1). That's a 10 on the smarmy index.

Cultural attitudes regarding disease status, psychological treatment, and terminal illness played an important role in how these individuals were treated. For individuals whose private records are inappropriately disclosed, an unfortunate chain of events often follows. Discrimination, emotional stress, and financial losses are common.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was passed on August 21, 1996 to augment the privacy act. HIPPA provides for uniform security and privacy standards for handling medical information. What does HIPAA mean to you? It means that individuals handling your protected health information are following strict guidelines. Penalties for noncompliance are severe, including civil monetary penalties and criminal sanctions, to individuals as well as organizations.

Educate yourself about your rights, you wouldn’t want your latest Match.com hookup to find out about your third nipple you had removed.

(1) M. Lavelle, "Health Plan Debate Turning to Privacy: Some Call For Safeguards on Medical Disclosure. Is a Federal Law Necessary?" The National Law Journal, May 30, 1994, p. A1

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