The Trump administration wants to require health insurance companies to hand over sensitive, detailed and identifiable medical records of millions of federal employees and retirees, along with their families. The move raises immediate concerns among legal and health policy experts, This was reported by KFF Health News.
The unprecedented offer was quietly revealed short notice From the Office of Personnel Management, KFF notes in December. OPM said it is looking for “service utilization and cost data” to be obtained from medical records, such as “medical claims, pharmacy claims, encounter data and provider data.”
The list could give the federal government access to prescriptions filled by employees and their diagnoses, as well as provider information, physician records, treatment and visit summaries, and other sensitive health information. According to KFF, the collection will affect more than 8 million Americans and collect data from 65 insurance companies.
Experts who spoke to KFF said OPM’s brief explanation of the monthly data collection was vague and broad. The agency said it needs to monitor benefit programs and “ensure they provide competitive, quality and affordable plans.” It also argued that, as an oversight agency, it has the authority to collect such protected health information under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).
