Beck falsely claims Obama health care proposal puts "everything you do ... into a computer database for the federal government"
Glenn Beck claimed on his radio show that President Obama's health care reform proposal "order[s] a comprehensive database on health claims, so everything that you do is going into a computer database for the federal government." In fact, nothing in the proposal supports the outlandish claim that it would result in the tracking of "everything you do"; the "database" it describes -- originally included in a Republican proposal -- would contain records related to sanctions on Medicare and Medicaid providers.
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Beck stokes fears about government tracking "everything you do"
From the February 22 broadcast of Premiere Radio Networks' The Glenn Beck Program:
BECK: It's ordering a comprehensive database on health claims, so everything that you do is going into a computer database for the federal government.
"Database" -- proposed by GOP -- would track sanctions on providers
Database centralizes records of sanctions. The only "database" mentioned in the proposal is a "Comprehensive Sanctions Database" that would compile Medicare and Medicaid sanctions on health care providers and give law-enforcement agencies access to that information. From the president's health care reform proposal:
Comprehensive Sanctions Database. The President's Proposal establishes a comprehensive Medicare and Medicaid sanctions database, overseen by the HHS Inspector General. This database will provide a central storage location, allowing for law enforcement access to information related to past sanctions on health care providers, suppliers and related entities. (Source: H.R. 3400, "Empowering Patients First Act" (Republican Study Committee bill))
Provision taken from GOP bill. As the citation in the proposal notes, the database was proposed in a health care reform bill offered by Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) and the Republican Study Committee:
(g) COMPREHENSIVE SANCTIONS DATABASE. -- The [Health and Human Services] Secretary shall establish a comprehensive sanctions data base on sanctions imposed on providers of services, suppliers, and related entities. Such database shall be overseen by the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services and shall be linked to related databases maintained by State licensure boards and by Federal or State law enforcement agencies.
"Data bank" established in 1996 to fight abuse by health care providers, suppliers
Obama's proposal also refers to the Healthcare Integrity and Protection Data Bank, but HIPDP, which was created in 1996, does not track "everything you do"; rather, it collects information on "actions taken against health care practitioners, providers, and suppliers."
President's proposal expands access to data bank of abuses by health care providers. From the president's health care reform proposal:
Expanded Access to the Healthcare Integrity and Protection Data Bank. Increasing access to the health care integrity data bank will improve coordination and information sharing in anti-fraud efforts. The President's Proposal broadens access to the data bank to quality control and peer review organizations and private plans that are involved in furnishing items or services reimbursed by Federal health care program. It includes criminal penalties for misuse. (Source: H.R. 3970, "Medical Rights & Reform Act" (Kirk bill))
HIPDB created by 1996 legislation. From the website of the Healthcare Integrity and Protection Data Bank:
The Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, acting through the Office of Inspector General (OIG), was directed by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 to create the Healthcare Integrity and Protection Data Bank (HIPDB) to combat fraud and abuse in health insurance and health care delivery.
Data bank collects information on "actions taken against health care practitioners, providers, and suppliers." From a fact sheet on the HIPDB website:
The HIPDB is a national data collection program for the reporting and disclosure of certain final adverse actions taken against health care practitioners, providers, and suppliers. The HIPDB collects and disseminates to eligible queriers information on:
- Health care-related civil judgments taken in Federal or State court.
- Health care-related criminal convictions taken in Federal or State court.
- Injunctions.
- Federal or State licensing and certification actions, including revocations, reprimands, censures, probations, suspensions, and any other loss of license, or the right to apply for or renew a license, whether by voluntary surrender, non-renewability, or otherwise.
- Exclusions from participation in Federal or State health care programs.
- Any other adjudicated actions or decisions defined in the HIPDB regulations.
Dave: "I don't know, HAL. But at least you won't have to put up with Glenn Beck!"
HAL: "Hurry, Dave! Shut me down now!"
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6 networks from electronic health records, post
7 marketing drug and medical device surveillance
8 efforts, and other forms of electronic health
9 data.
10 ‘‘(3) POWERS.—
11 ‘‘(A) OBTAINING OFFICIAL DATA.—The
12 Center may secure directly from any depart13
ment or agency of the United States informa14
tion necessary to enable it to carry out this sec15
tion. Upon request of the Center, the head of
16 that department or agency shall furnish that in17
formation to the Center on an agreed upon
18 schedule.
19 ‘‘(B) DATA COLLECTION.—In order to
20 carry out its functions, the Center shall—
21 ‘‘(i) utilize existing information, both
22 published and unpublished, where possible,
23 collected and assessed either by its own
24 staff or under other arrangements made in
25 accordance with this section,
If you're simply adding to the evidence that Beck is wrong, then never mind.
There here!!!! Obama's body snatchers are here!!!!
Alright, let's try to understand the idea of context. "Everything you do" is in the context of "health claims." Clearly Mr. Beck is not stating that everything you do in generally or even specifically relating to health care will be tracked. His comment, although not worded as well as it could have been, reflects exactly would MM points out that claims against companies and sanctions/fraudulences will be tracked.
MM also makes of point of identifying that this is a Republican proposal in the President's Proposal. What does that have to do with anything? Mr. Beck has clearly identified that he is not in favor of progressive policies whether they come from Rs or Ds.
I do think that Mr. Beck is deficient in providing reasons why this might not be a good idea. He does try to create a sense that this is a bad idea without providing reasons why.
The only reason I can see why this might not be a good idea is that it could be possible in filing a complaint or claim against an insurance company that the resulting investigation becomes public knowledge. If that were to happen, then potentially sensitive Private Health Information could become known to the public. This is a long shot though, but it should raise questions. As long as the laws are specific enough to protect individuals private information and freedoms, I do not think it is something to fret over.
Every time you visit your general practitioner, we're going to put your vital medical information on a piece of paper or film that we'll promptly file and misplace. This is known as "security by obscurity."
This will assure you that your specialist won't suspect your prior illnesses or medications for a sexual dalliance at that convention in Las Vegas. The good news is that your dermatologist won't know about your urological problems with early stage prostate cancer. Regardless, both will document your visits on paper forms that are filed then promptly and reliably misplaced. Each will write you a prescription.
Fortunately, by electing to play the medical reimbursement lottery, your specialists will choose a reimbursement code at random for your visit, checking a random box on the paper insurance form, then fax it to the insurance firm, which will promptly misfile it so the doctor's office manager and payment processor send it five more time, requiring another six months before your doctor is reimbursed for your visit.
This level of obscurity assures you that your insurer doesn't know about your pre-existing condition for either slow growing prostate cancer nor herpes, or conjecture your skin problem is melanoma instead of herpes.
You can rely upon your pharmacists to confuse your prescription with that of another patient. As a result of receiving the incorrect scrip, you stand a much better chance of getting a $70,000 dose of Trastuzumab rather than a $3 dose of Valacyclovir. Of course, Trastuzumab is a monoclonal antibody therapeutic for breast cancer, whereas Valacyclovir is for herpes.
Isn't paper wonderful? Thanks Glenn, you're a medical genius!
Based on the Vogon bureaucratic system?
Randy