February 12, 2008

Blue Cross, WellPoint Ask Docs To Fink Out Patients

Oh, this is just breathtaking: Blue Cross of California, the state's largest for-profit insurer which is operated by WellPoint, is asking doctors at large medical groups to tattle on patients of theirs for hiding pre-existing conditions from the insurance company. Seriously, the company is asking docs to breach doctor-patient confidentiality, which is supposed to be one of the toughest firewalls in all of human life. Various doctors' groups in California and patient groups are protesting the move and for good reason.

Not only would patients begin withholding information from doctors, which kind of works against what medicine is supposed to be about, but it just shows how all encompassing health care companies have become in our lives. Or are trying to become.

You can read about it in this Los Angeles Times piece. The implications for mental health care in this scenario are obviously immense.

So what's next? Insurance companies ask psychologists and therapists to phone in their clients' innermost thoughts to the company each week?

I hope whomever our next President is goes absolutely ripshit on the insurance and pharma companies who are acting much as the big oil trusts did before Teddy Roosevelt brought them back to Earth.

Posted by Philip Dawdy at February 12, 2008 09:53 AM
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The primary purpose of HIPPA was to prevent people from concealing pre existing conditions from insurance companies. What HIPPA does is this, it allows and in fact requires any medical professional you see to share information with your insurance carrier and any other insurance carrier to whom you apply for coverage. Doctor-patient confidentiality does not exist any more. However HIPPA expressly allows your MHP to deny you access to your records. Don't believe me, it's true, oh, and it's federal so state laws don't really matter. Anything your therapist puts in his or her notes will be read by as many bored insurance adjusters as well, feel like reading your records, but you have no right to see them.

Here's the link: http://www.patientprivacyrights.org/site/PageServer?pagename=HIPAA_Intent_Vs_Reality

Posted by: Sally at February 12, 2008 05:28 PM

The Virginia legislature is passing legislation to make mental health providers "rat out" teenagers who seek treatment on their own to their parents, adults whose own clinicians do not think they are a danger to self or others to special justices and sheriffs and magistrates and teenagers who want HIV tests to their parents. But Virginia was already worst in the nation on patient confidentiality, we're just getting even worse.

Posted by: Alison Hymes at February 12, 2008 06:29 PM



Ooooh! I know this answer! Pick me! Pick me!!



... the company is asking docs to breach doctor-patient confidentiality, which is supposed to be one of the toughest firewalls in all of human life.



Just in case any members of the FBI or CIA are languishing about, (one never knows)... I merely wished to "observe" that Phil ("Philip" to his "friends") has been known to hang out in homeless shelters where he has surely rubbed elbows with indiginents and non-conformists, some of whom have probably -- no, surely -- I mean, very probably, as in most likely, as in patently obvious come from an "unsavory" background. In spite of this, he keeps going back.



I never thought it would come to this, but obviously "Phil" is a "One-of-Them".



*sniff*



Although this has been very difficult for me, I think I did the right thing by turning him in.



See also:

- McCarthyism

- Irony



Posted by: spiritual_emergency at February 12, 2008 09:32 PM

Do you know of a petition going around anywhere, or where one could send a letter?

Posted by: NAP at February 12, 2008 09:55 PM

NAP, The issue of patient privacy is a big one. Here's a link to a petition to stop pharmacys from revealing your prescription data:

http://www.patientprivacyrights.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Petition_for_Prescription_Privacy

There are some other links on the page to other actions one can take but I fear that people with psych labels, which includes anyone seeing an MHP, need to be careful because when we stand up for our rights it's an indication we are a danger to ourselves and others and you know what that means.

Posted by: Sally at February 13, 2008 05:44 AM
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