ICYMI: Chairman Cassidy, Hassan Advance Legislation to Protect Americans' Private Health Data

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee voted to favorably report the Health Information Privacy Reform Act, bipartisan legislation led by U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Chairman of the HELP Committee, and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) to protect Americans' private health data. The Health Information Privacy Reform Act would expand health privacy protections to account for new technologies that are not currently required to have privacy protections, such as smartwatches and health apps.

"Protecting patient information is essential to delivering quality care," said Dr. Cassidy. "Smartwatches and health apps are helpful tools but open the door to privacy concerns that didn't exist when it was just a patient and a doctor in an exam room. This bipartisan legislation ensures Americans' data is secure and only collected and used with their consent."

"Americans are increasingly using smartwatches, health rings, and apps to take charge of their health, but our privacy laws haven't kept up with these new technologies. People deserve to know who has access to their most personal health information and how it's being used and protected," said Senator Hassan. "This bipartisan bill will require companies to clearly disclose how they collect and share health information so that people can use these tools without giving up control of their personal data."

The exchange of health data that is shared between patients and health care providers is governed by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). However, HIPAA does not currently cover consumer health products that connect individuals to health tools outside of the doctor's office, like new health tracking devices and applications.

The Health Information Privacy Reform Act requires health technologies not subject to HIPAA to disclose how consumer information is collected and shared. It also explores how to give consumers' opportunities to share their health data to support future research and be compensated for their contributions.

This legislation builds on Cassidy's previous work to protect Americans' private data. Earlier this Congress, the HELP Committee passed Cassidy's Health Care Cybersecurity and Resilience Act to safeguard Americans' health data. He has also investigated several cybersecurity lapses, including those by NYC Health + Hospitals, Hims & Hers, Instructure, OPEXUS and UnitedHealth Group.

Read the full bill text here.

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