Congresswoman Unable To Defend Her Obamacare Criticism

Tennessee Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn was asked by Carol Costello on CNN to defend her statement that the website HealthCare.gov will endanger users’ medical privacy. Just what information, Costello wanted to know, would have to be turned over to the federal government that would invade privacy? Blackburn had claimed that requested information is a violation The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).Then came word soup.

COSTELLO: So what specifically were you referring to on the website that violates, that could possibly violate HIPAA?

BLACKBURN: We are concerned about privacy overall. Data security privacy and of course applying and complying with the HIPAA laws, and…

COSTELLO: But what question specifically asks that would concern you about HIPAA, what medical question does it ask?

BLACKBURN: Carol, HIPAA requires you to — it’s the way you structure your website and the way you transit the information, the transfer rights that are there, and when you look at privacy on these websites, what you have to do is keep all of the application information in one server […]

COSTELLO: I’m trying to understand what kind of information you’re talking about. What kind of information are you talking about? What specifically does the website ask that I might be afraid might shared with whomever? Specifically. What information?

BLACKBURN: You should be very concerned not only as you navigate the website but as you make a purchase, and then as your information is handled, what we want to make certain is that an individual’s medical information their financial information is all going to be kept in a private manner. What we do not want is a peeping Tom who is going to look through their PII, their personal identifying information. they want to make certain the federal government has standards and are applying and abiding by the privacy laws that are on the books and by the HIPAA regulations that every hospital and every doctor abide by. so this is a serious investigation, looking at the entire roll-out and launch of this website, how this data is being used.

By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.