Big Brother wants to destroy your medical privacy. That’s the likely outcome of a plan to assign us each a national medical ID number, blandly called a “unique health identifier.” The guvmint could then track every doctor’s visit you have and every pill you take, eventually even your genetic data. Recent history suggests it wouldn’t be long before all that information became available to profit-motivated enterprise – and perhaps to any skilled adolescent hacker.
Ironically, UHIs came tucked inside a lifesaver for people with HIV/AIDS, the Kennedy-Kassebaum Health Insurance Portability Act of 1996, which, most importantly, enables changing jobs without losing one’s insurance coverage. A Republican amendment required assigning UHIs by 1999 (for efficiency, of course).
Obviously, the potential for abuse is enormous. Being ensnared would be unavoidable, as your UHI would be required for accessing healthcare in any form, even getting a prescription. Even if UHIs didn’t become a “Stalinist-style internal passport,” they would make too much sensitive, potentially dangerous information available – like your HIV status or sexual orientation.
Appalled Democrats and a few true conservatives have stalled UHI implementation every year by amending spending bills to forbid outlays for establishing such a system. This year’s effort amends the appropriations bill for labor, health/human services and education (HR 5006). However, after recent elections, continuing such evasive action may not be supportable.
For once, libertarian Texas Congressman Ron Paul (R-District14) is on the right track. UHIs need a stake through the heart, once and for all; a temporary moratorium is not sufficient. Rep. Paul (incidentally, a physician) also calls for repealing the UHI measure altogether and for restrengthening federal medical privacy rules relaxed by the Bush administration in 2002.
Every citizen concerned about personal privacy – especially those with HIV – should contact his/her congressional delegation in support. Big Brother’s UHI numbers must be defeated.
This article appears in January 21 • 2005.