Insurers worried HIPAA expansion could hurt HIT adoption

Further, Ignani said that requiring covered entities to account for all disclosures of personal health information would discourage use of electronic health records systems because of the intense labor required to document all disclosures of electronic data.

AHIP Concerned with Privacy Provisions

AHIP's concerns rest with provisions that would further restrict use of patient data for payment, treatment and operational functions.

Health Insurers Welcome COBRA Subsidy, Leery of Privacy Rules

The federal government would subsidize up to 65% of COBRA health insurance payments for many individuals who have lost their jobs since Sept. 1, 2008, under an $825 billion stimulus package unveiled by House Democrats.

Law Enforcement Looks to Video Surveillance Networks

2008 may have been The Year of the Large-Scale Wireless Video Surveillance System, as several cities and their police departments joined the growing market, while others expanded existing systems.

These systems stream high-resolution video to monitoring stations and police squad cars from cameras strategically located throughout downtown areas or other high-priority, high-crime districts. The cameras can prove valuable to police and prosecutors for capturing and convicting criminals and as a crime deterrent.

Online Search Analytics Provide a Window Into Customer Behavior

Online searching is a proxy for consumer behavior. By examining how people search and what they're searching for, insurance companies can figure out better ways to connect with potential customers. Understanding how and when consumers are using the Web to look for information will help drive growth and help insurance companies navigate the next year.

Hospitals X-Ray Patient Credit Scores

More and more are buying credit data to see if the sick can afford treatment

Via Boztopia:Group hopes to shape nation's privacy policy

AT&T is funding a group run by some of the nation's top privacy experts that aims to influence policy in the Obama administration and develop best practices on privacy for businesses.

Called Future of Privacy, the organization will be announced Wednesday. Its Web site, www.futureofprivacy.org, is set to go live Monday.

One of the group's co-founders, Jules Polonetsky, said he left his job as chief privacy officer at AOL to run Future of Privacy. He also had worked at DoubleClick, which was acquired by Google last year.

At&T? Doubleclick?

Candidates' Web Sites Get to Know the Voters

Any two people interested in whether Amanda Beard is dating fellow Olympian Michael Phelps, and who clicked on the Boston Herald tidbit that raced around the Web last week, got the same piece of gossip.

Rumored galpal Amanda Beard on Phelps: No Thanks!

What was different was the political ads that appeared -- or didn't -- beside the story.

Readers who had visited Barack Obama's Web site received as many as three Obama ads alongside the gossip. "Help Elect Barack Obama President of the United States" and "Visit the Barack Obama Website," the ads said.

Richard Stickler Mines. Interesting.

They Know What's in Your Medicine Cabinet
How insurance companies dig up applicants' prescriptions—and use them to deny coverage

That prescription you just picked up at the drugstore could hurt your chances of getting health insurance.

An untold number of people have been rejected for medical coverage for a reason they never could have guessed: Insurance companies are using huge, commercially available prescription databases to screen out applicants based on their drug purchases.

In Every Voter, A 'Microtarget'

I am not a techie and I have no idea if this is a good or bad idea. Your thoughts? From the Globe:

"The Whois database is in fact the best, most well-recognized tool that we have to be able to track down who in fact you are doing business with," said Bohannon, the trade group's general counsel, adding that alternatives such as issuing subpoenas to service providers take more time and cost money.

Nonetheless, some privacy advocates are proposing scrapping the system entirely because they can't agree with the people who use the system on how to give domain name owners more options when they register — such as designating third-party agents. Privacy advocates say individuals shouldn't have to reveal personal information simply to have a Web site.

But the bottom of the story tells it all:

Halpin questioned the reliability of the data and argued that his privacy was invaded, since officials tracked him when he wasn't at work.

Yes, the Bush mandate Google bomb is still going strong. Just type "Bush Mandate" into the Google search box and press I'm Feeling Lucky. I'll wait.

I'm so pleased.

It's pretty well out in the open now. The United States Government wants to know every single bit of information that goes in and out of your computer when it's connected to the Internet. Is that clear enough? Do you want that to happen? Can you be persuaded or browbeaten into believing that if they JUST use this information for some "good reason" like stopping kiddie porn, or preventing terrorism, that (a) well then that's okay; that good cause is so important it's worth giving up a little of my privacy for, and besides, I don't do kiddie porn or terrorism so what do I have to worry about? or that (b) they will in fact only use this information for that purpose?

If you persuade yourself to believe either of the above, you're an idiot. Go away, we do not want you as a reader. You are the enemy, you are one of Them. Fuck off, eat shit and die.