The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a final rule on Monday to stop sharing private health information to help legal investigations or lawsuits involving patients or providers in reproductive health care.
The rule issued by the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) prevents providers, clearing houses and their business associates regulated by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) from revealing a patient’s protected health information to facilitate an investigation or legal action by law enforcement.
“Every American still has the right to privacy, especially regarding their very personal health information,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra in a press briefing Monday.
“When you seek medical care and share personal health information, that information is protected by federal and possibly state law. Under federal law, you have rights to your privacy. That’s what today is about,” he said.
