In following the news Sunday of the devastating shooting at an Orlando nightclub you may have heard that the White House took some kind of action related to HIPAA. What, you probably wondered, does this have to do with the shooting?
HIPAA stands for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Passed in 1996, it is one of the most important laws in our country protecting our privacy. It restricts health-care providers from sharing medical information with anyone but the patient unless they explicitly give permission. Under normal circumstances, this puts all the power in the hands of individuals and makes a lot of sense. But in a time of crisis, HIPPA can be a hindrance. That's because if a person is incapacitated and can't make his or her wishes known, the law allows doctors, hospitals and other health-care groups to provide information only to a spouse or next of kin. But what if a person doesn't have a spouse or relative close by?
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