Major Topics

An honest source for information about policies that affect your freedom to choose your health care treatments and providers and to maintain your health privacy—including genetic privacy.

What's New: 2004

December 11, 2004: Update on Unique Health Identifiers (UHIs): Are you ready for a tracking number that could be used to monitor your personal health information from cradle to grave?; Competition Is Needed in Health Care, FTC/DOJ Study Says: A recent report by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) calls for greater competition in the U.S. health-care system.
November 22, 2004: The Federal Government Tells Families to Discuss and Document Health History on Thanksgiving. What should families consider regarding this initiative?; A Good Way to Spend Thanksgiving?; No True Health Privacy? Many citizens complaining about medical privacy breaches are not being helped by the federal rule.
November 5, 2004: FDA is Planning to Track Dietary Supplements Using Data-Mining Technology
October 5, 2004: Congressmen Question HHS's Legal Authority to Force Seniors into Medicare Part A: Three congressmen sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson questioning the current policy of forcing seniors into Medicare Part A.; More Than One-Third of U.S. Adults Use Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Most people who use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) do so without consulting a licensed practitioner.
September 13, 2004: President Bush Proposes Screening the U.S. Population for Mental Illness
August 23, 2004: Pros and Cons of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs): The recently enacted Medicare Rx law includes a provision that allows Americans to open HSAs. There are both pros and cons with HSAs that should be considered.
July 23, 2004: President Bush Proposes to Screen Population for Mental Illness: The sweeping initiative will link diagnoses to treatment with specific drugs (link to WorldNetDaily.com article).
June 14, 2004: Will Americans Lose Their Privacy with Electronic Medical Records?
May 20, 2004: Can You Have True Health Privacy Under Nationalized Health Care?
April 27, 2004: Are You Ready for a National Health ID Number? Rep. Paul calls for repeal of mandated national health ID.
March 26, 2004: An Unhealthy Tradition: Ignoring, whitewashing, and covering up Medicare's true cost is a Washington tradition as old as the program itself.
March 11, 2004: Is Nationalized Health Care Coming to America? The new Medicare law establishes a Hillary-like health care working group.
February 19, 2004: How New Medicare Reform Could Affect All Citizens; Chiropractors Excluded from Limited Right to Contract Privately Under Recently Enacted Medicare Bill; Reality Check on Medicare Legislation
January 14, 2004: Coercion vs. Freedom: Baby Boomers Likely to Challenge Medicare Rules