Chair Cassidy Introduces Bill to Protect Americans’ Private Health Data

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, introduced the Health Information Privacy Reform Act. This legislation protects Americans' private health data by expanding health privacy protections to account for new technologies that are not currently required to have privacy protections, such as smartwatches and health apps.

"Smartwatches and health apps change the way people manage their health. They're helpful tools, but present new privacy concerns that didn't exist when it was just a patient and a doctor in an exam room," said Dr. Cassidy. "Let's make sure that Americans' data is secured and only collected and used with their consent."

Traditional provider-patient interactions are governed by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). However, HIPAA is failing to keep up with consumer health products that connect individuals to health tools outside of the doctor's office.

Cassidy's Health Information Privacy Reform Act builds on his previous work to protect Americans' private data. It 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.

Read the full bill text here.

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