Date: Mon, 1 Aug 1994 00:22:06 -0700 From: shamrock@netcom.com (Lucky Green) Subject: Re: Lady Di's medical records
I personally know individuals that are avoiding medical care because of concerns about confidentiality. It seems the loopholes are extending. Patient records stay around for years. Who knows what the requirements will be five years from now? It would not surprise me if individuals who have been seeking drug treatment within the last, say, five years would have to be reported to the Klinton Kommunal Kare agency.
Then there are security clearances --- "Answers to questions in items 18 through 22 are NOT limited to the last 5, 10 or 15 years, but pertain to your entire life. (See DEATILED INSTRUCTIONS.) [...] "20. DRUG/ALCOHOL USE AND MENTAL HEALTH ("YES" answers must be explained in accordance with DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS.) "a. Have you ever tried or used or possessed any narcotic (to include herion or cocaine), depressant (in include quaaludes), stimulant, hallucinogen (to include LSD or PCP), or cannabis (to include marijuana or hashish), or any mind-altering substance (to include glue or paint), even one-time or on an experimental basis, except as prescribed by a licensed physician? ... "e. Have you ever been treated for a mental, emotional, psychological or personality disorder/condition/problem? "f. Have you ever consulted or been counseled by any mental health professional?" ---------- in the DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS ---------------- "e and f. Mental Health. If 'Yes" is answered to either e or f, provide, in item 14 [an empty box], the following information: o Exact problem (including name of disorder, if known) o Name and address of primary physician, therapist, counselor, or other mental health professional who treated you of from whom you received counseling. o Date(s) of treatment/counseling. o If treatment/counseling is still continuing, so indicate and provide frequency of visits. o Name and address of any hospital, clinic, and/or agency where treated/counseled as an in-patient. o Date(s) of hospitalization and/or in-patient treatment/counseling." ============================================================================== Clearly, to aid all those joining the military and otherwise getting a security clearance, it would help to have all citizens' central gov't health-care database contain all these details, so that when you fill out your security clearance forms, you can just hand over your health-care smart-card giving them access to the whole database. Right? Who are we to make life hard for those dedicated, young Americans who have to go through all this work? - Carl