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Covered California to collect health records

June 22, 2015

Covered CaliforniaRecords of prescriptions, doctor visits and hospital stays belonging to Covered California enrollees will soon be part of a state database. [LA Times]

Covered California, has announced plans to collect health insurance data on every patient. Executives say the data is needed in order to hold health insurance companies and medical providers accountable under the Affordable Care Act.

State exchange officials plan to use the data to answer questions like how many diabetics are having their chronic condition managed correctly and how many screening tests for cancer led to early diagnosis and treatment. The 1.4 million state residents enrolled in Covered California will not be allowed to opt out of the data collection program.

“To understand the quality of care being provided, you need everybody in,” Covered California chief Peter Lee said. “Without the data, we are only delivering on half the promise of the Affordable Care Act. We have to get beyond measuring access by anecdote.”

Some health policy experts applaud the move, arguing it could pressure insurers to better serve patients, and it could give the state a bargaining chip in rate negotiations. Privacy advocates, however, are criticizing the plan.

“There is potential for so much public good, but there is a greater public good in protecting privacy and security,” said Michelle De Mooy, of the Washington-based Center for Democracy and Technology. “I think asking permission is absolutely integral. It is not the state’s data.”


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The CDT is another innocuous sounding corporate front, funded by various huge high-tech outfits: AT&T, Apple, Microsoft, et al; that all do their own form of data-mining.


But simpler than the big-government vs. big-business argument is the concept of comprehensive insurance.

Do you know how many personal travel airline companies there would be if not for co-insurance ?

None, because individual rates would be too expensive for individual carriers …especially in the event of a plane crash. They would be immediately bankrupt. So, they all go into one big pool to spread the risk.


That’s ALL that the ACA, and the state exchange Covered California are about …spreading the risk for the greatest amount of coverage.

It’s a hybrid system for now ( due to the opposition from the big corporate insurance companies and their political shills ), but Medicare for All will be the way to go.


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No, it is not about spreading the risk. It forces people into the system that may or may not want to be in the system and forces them to buy packages of insurance that they may not need. Even if one wants insurance, why should they buy coverages that the government insists upon. Men pay for female reproductive coverage? That is just one example. Single payer insurance, putting government and it’s inefficiencies is not the way to go. Look at the VA Health System, the shortage of Doctors due to Medicare reimbursement and more.


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Just wait until you get that letter from the government saying that they’ve noticed you are overweight, and you have only so much time to lose it until they restrict what food you can buy. For your own good of course.


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“There is potential for so much public good, but there is a greater public good in protecting privacy and security,”


privacy and security? sorry….unfortunately we voted that away 7 years ago. Elections have consequences but we have to pass it before we can see whats in it…..


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That this is even remotely legal is one thing, but to watch sycophants cheer for this is beyond tolerable.


As if the government is so awesome with their data and security. (hint: ALL federal workers’ data was just stolen).


“We all need to be in it for it to work!” – I’m picturing a 5 year old telling me a great new idea they just thought of.


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I’m with you r0y. I’d rather have my data stolen from a private corporation like Blue Cross, Target, Home Depot… That way the thieves will have my credit card number as well as my data! Plus, those corporations will also give/sell my data to affiliates/partners so that they can market more effectively to me.


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So, you’d like to have every store you ever used your credit card, data, what-not to BY LAW send said data to Target, Blue Cross, Home Depot? That way it’s not only what you bought at Target with the card used their, but EVERY card you’ve used EVERYWHERE?


I’m hopeful that even you can start to see how ridiculous your analogy was.


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…used THERE… (sorry, was still in shock unlisted failed to grasp what is happening)


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So will all the illegals who will now be covered in CA under Medi-Cal also have to provide this information, or are they exempted because they are not citizens?


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Seriously, the great irony of you who are so filled with hatred that you constantly turn every subject into a chance to make snide comments about immigrants, is your sense of entitlement to the land and resources taken from the country where those illegals are from.


If you’re legitimately concerned about people stealing your tax money and trying to make you pay for all their benefits, you ought to focus on the bureaucrats in SLO, in Sacramento, and in Washington, as well as the military industrial complex, and NOT the people who take great risks to try to find work and a better way of life. How much time have you spent with illegal aliens? I have found that, aside from the mules (drug runners), the vast VAST majority of them are very hard working people that have no interest in receiving any public benefits. Nearly all of the people who are milking the welfare state are U.S. citizens.


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^^^^

All of that is politically correct crap.


Where are your statistics that back up your claims that that have no interest in receiving public benefits? Medi-cal, WIC, free school, lunches, calfresh (former known as food stamps), housing are all gov’ment programs. I wonder how many illegal anchor babies do NOT receive these services? How many families do you know that say, “no thank you, I will not take from the US, I will pay with my cash that I earned?”


I think you mistake frustration for hatred. My mother has no health insurance. Not even O’crap care. She is not quite medicare age, and O’crapcare is too high of a percentage of her income. So for “people like me”, it is a bit annoying to see my poor little mom not get the care she should get, and yet we will treat illegals like celebrities.


My parents nearly starved as kids. There were no food stamps. My dad was a MIGRANT worker that followed the fruit tree crops, then worked in potato sheds when his family of 12 settled down in the Central Valley. They wore flour sacks for clothes. How DARE you call people you don’t even know hateful and snide when you don’t understand WHY many are frustrated? People ASSUME all white people live on golf courses, go to KKK meetings at night, and polish our shotguns every Sunday (ok, that last one is true lol).


“White People” (and I am not speaking for all of them) have a history too; and it isn’t always privileged, no matter what the media says.


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The New World Order is right on track with it’s agenda to keep a close eye on your health and allowing health insurers the right to increase or even deny your coverage if you aren’t complying with your doctor’s orders. You’re especially enabling these watchdogs by running around with a health app running on your Iwatch! Big Brother is watching your every move and it’s paid for on Your Dime..Lol.


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I am sorry to say, Rich in MB is right.


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Hello bBig Brother, I read 1984 and know all about you. Gonna be a lot of folks looking over their shoulder for me.


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Ha ha ha….you suckers.

You wanted to suckle off the Tit of Government, now they will own you and there is nothing you can do about it. Stand up against the Government and Sha-Zam…it’s leaked out that you have a history of mental illness in your family. Protest the Government and your wife’s abortion before you married her is leaked to the media.


We tried to tell you what would happen when you cede your freedom for security….and not the Chickens are coming home to roost.


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Rich,


Obviously you feel the same way towards George W. Bushes Patriot’s Act and it’s revisions thereof? Yes?


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Misdirecting the conversation to the tired Bush argument again are we? Yawn…


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I can’t speak for Rich in MB, but it appears that he is blaming government and is aware that there is little difference between Democrats and Republicans.


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If you disagree with Rich you are truly a member of the sheeple. If you objectively look at history. This is what big government does.


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There is some confusion here, sheeple don’t vote, Rich does not vote, no difference.


Also Rich must not have insurance as he would be subject to the same data collection with private insurers (they collect all your data.).


Again no difference except for the faux rage by someone who has many licences and permits and insurance that he pays the government for every year. He could walk the talk but “We tried to tell you” takes less work.


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A private insurer keeps my info to itself. It has no need or legal right to use my information for anything else, other than to keep my paperwork and contract current and up-to-date.


The government wants my information, to keep tabs on my life and actions. This has been proven through time immemorial.


So, yeah. That’s a huge difference.


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A private insurer also does not have my information for which they do not insure. For example, my dental coverage insurer has no records from my podiatrist, etc. Does that make sense?


An optometrist would have no record of a woman’s OB/GYN…. right? Well, now ALL of that is in one convenient place!


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Wrong, your dentist does not share with your podiatrist but your insurance co does share between other insurance co’s, if it wants to.:


Q. Who has access to my health records?

A. Many more people than you would ever want, including people outside the health care industry.


Q: Can my personal health information be used and disclosed without any notice to me or without my informed consent at the time of treatment?

A: Yes.


Q: Can my insurer or employer get my health records without my permission?

A: Yes.


The Amended HIPAA Privacy Rule gives health plans and self-insured employers broad authority (“regulatory permission”) to get information without consent that is far more extensive than is needed for billing or any other reason related to a specific individual’s health care. Other uses for which health plans and employers are authorized to obtain use and disclose an individual’s health information without consent include:


Due diligence in connection with the sale or transfer of assets;

Certain types of marketing;

Business planning and development;

Business management and general administrative activities; and

Underwriting, premium rating and other activities relating to the creation, renewal or replacement of a contract of health insurance. Section 164.501


Q: Can I prevent my doctor from reporting a certain procedure to my insurance company?

A: No. The Amended HIPAA Privacy Rule does not provide any method for an individual to prevent any procedure, treatment, medical test, or prescription from being reported to his/her insurance company.


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I could see this leading to selling “generic” diagnoses to companies “in order to help serve you better.”


Imagine you have COPD or some other severe respiratory disease. That gets an ICD-10 code. So, without specifics, companies know that “patient: kettle” has COPD. There may be oxygen needed for you, which also has a corresponding code.


I see the future as selling your “codes” to companies for marketing purposes. They will be “affiliated companies”, so it is “to help you.” Now, Oxygen therapy companies, supply companies, maybe even ride on chair companies will be calling you to offer you services based on their knowledge of your medical condition(s) because of the ICD codes.


This can lead to all SORTS of badness IMO. Job descrimination (after all, who wants an employee with ICD 10 code F32.3 working that available position?), increased insurance rates, etc.


My 2 cents.


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Fantastic comment, and that chickens coming home to roost quip at the end was well played.


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The ‘chickens’ are the Cheetos-brained reactionaries that post here.


Lord, …let these libertarian Supermen that can’t even walk across the street without help just go !


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Walk across a nhta approved road, across a California approved crosswalk?


That would be funny to watch them try to avoid anything that involves gov regulation lol, Somalia is where they need to go if government regulation is that much of a problem. Even Ted Cruz is not going to give up his gov provided healthcare, gym, cars, doctors with licences, plane pilots with licences and so on.


In fact Ted Cruz’s campaign needs your gun’s registered and a gov gun ownership background check to shoot at a campaign event coming up. lol.


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Funny you should mention government sidewalks.


The 3 corner stop at Pacific, Higuera, and Walker Sts. for many decades, including during the railroad years, had sidewalks that blended with the street. No curbs or driveways, just smooth transition from sidewalk to street.


Along comes the government and the ADA, screaming that they know better than us low-life scum.


See, the ADA requires a ramp from the sidewalk to the street, for wheel chair access, this 3 corner stop did NOT have wheelchair ramps!! How inconsiderate!! How rude!! How utterly disdainful of the crippled person among us!!


In order to build a required sidewalk to street ramp, a raised sidewalk must be made, with good sharp curbs on either side of the wheelchair ramp so, you know, it could be a ramp. This was done with engineering precision! A full regular sidewalk, made especially to accommodate a wheelchair ramp! We should all be so fucking proud of our city for thinking crippled people have no life and are totally incapable of taking care of themselves!!


If you didn’t get any of that: The city tore up the SMOOTH, NO CURB, NO BUMP, NO TRIP HAZARD SIDEWALK that has served splendidly for 100 years….in order to build a sidewalk that included enough of a curb to include a wheelchair ramp. The REST OF THE OLD SIDEWALK STILL EXISTS, AND IS STILL SMOOTHLY TRANSITIONING TO THE STREET.


Currently, the ADA compliant curb and ramp are severe trip hazards, and automobile tires regularly roll over them.


THIS, is the same ignorant, foolish, and just plain stupid government that wants your life information, to better take care of you……..or something equally as fucked up as a making curbs to hinder wheelchairs in the guise of helping them..


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Rich, as so often your over the top reaction goes beyond the facts.


If you read the LA Times story you’ll find


1. before people sign up for covered california they are informed their data will be aggregated, and


2. only data stripped of identifying information will be shared with the state.


In other words, there’s no privately-identifiable information being collected and turned over to big brother!


On the other hand, the public health benefits of studying this sort of data are huge.


Early data collection even revealed mainly healthy people were signing up for covered california which enabled your big brother to get insurance premiums for individuals lowered substantially. So there’s even ecocnomic benefit.


Finally, anybody who has any kind of medical insurance is already subject to this sort of data collection. Picking on the state isn’t meaningful when the corporate big brothers do exactly the same sort of thing with your “private” information.


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