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Is Amazon Storing Your Health Information?

Amazon BuildingSurprisingly, yes.  

Medicare announced that insurance companies can use the Amazon cloud to report their required ObamaCare information to the government.

Under ObamaCare, insurance companies must provide information to the government to determine if they owe money or will receive money from the government.  This is an important aspect of ObamaCare as it forces insurance companies to have both “risk and reward.”  This information is required to avoid large premium increases in the first 3 years.

Insurance companies previously had to buy expensive hardware to provide the information to the government.  Medicare decided that the information could also be stored on the Amazon cloud.  

Insurance companies are concerned about:

  1. The security of the health information;
  2. The redundancy of other systems insurance companies already have in place;
  3. The Amazon option being offered too late to get an accurate picture of the risk pool. Article

This is simply another example how health information is becoming more available in locations that the healthcare provider and patient would never know about.  As a result of these rapid changes, healthcare providers and consumers must be vigilant that they monitor their health information and have the mandatory HIPAA and security measures in place.  If there is a breach of health information, the healthcare provider does not want to take the liability when the information is now in so many varied locations by many different companies. As a patient, make sure you notify your healthcare provider if you find that your healthcare information has been leaked to an unauthorized source.

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Healthcare has changed radically. Gone are the days when the only medical professional a patient saw was their trusted local doctor. MyHealthSpin’s Easy Healthcare: Healthcare Privacy walks you through the practical steps you can take to safeguard your healthcare privacy as a patient.

Available for download NOW!

 

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BEWARE: Don’t Gift Away Your Health Privacy!

Close up view of guy using fitness deviceAs the holidays approach, many people will consider buying their loved ones health trackers such as smart phone apps or devices such as Fitbits or Bodybuggs.  While these items are wonderfully helpful in keeping track of your fitness progress, they may also be capturing your health information and selling it.

In MyHealthSpin’s Easy Healthcare: Healthcare Privacy, we discuss what you can expect regarding how your medical information is managed. One of the subjects we talk about is that fact that health apps and devices don’t necessarily protect your health data.  

Most health apps want your health information so they can sell it to advertisers.  A recent study found that 10 health apps sold your health information to over 76 third party companies.  This information often included your name, email, exercise habits, diagnosis searches, location, gender,  etc.  While sharing this information may not bother you, you want to make sure the information does not get used against you.

You may see privacy notices from these various companies that let you know that they are not selling your information now.  This does not mean that they won’t sell it in the future.  If you want your information to remain private, you should determine whether you can opt out of any sharing of your information in the future.

A bigger problem is how an insurance company might use this information.  Insurance companies can buy the health data from these companies and use it to set your premiums for your health insurance.  For example, if you are using a health app that assists you in stopping smoking, an insurance company may use the information collected in the health app to set your premium higher if you are struggling to quit smoking.  Health insurance premiums for smokers can be 50 percent higher than non-smokers.

You should also be concerned if your health app captures a lot of personal information along with your location.  Taking  your health status and your location and selling it can cause a breach in your health privacy.  Again, remember there are no HIPAA protections for you as a health app consumer.

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Healthcare has changed radically. Gone are the days when the only medical professional a patient saw was their trusted local doctor. MyHealthSpin’s Easy Healthcare: Healthcare Privacy walks you through the practical steps you can take to safeguard your healthcare privacy as a patient.

Available for download NOW!

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Helpful Health Care Links: November 29, 2014

cloud of words related to celebration of Thanksgiving Day on aThis holiday week is a time for reflection. Our helpful health care links focus on many topics — changes in healthcare coverage for immigrants under President Obama’s new program and tighter FDA menu regulations for many restaurants. We also included a local story from The Wall Street Journal about a Detroit neurosurgeon arrested for alleged insurance fraud. All are worth your time. And, as always, if you ever come across a healthcare story that you think merits more attention, please send it our way!

A Warning on Nutmeg

During the holiday season, nutmeg is one of the most well-loved spices, but it has quite the twisted history. Toxicologists warn: measure your nutmeg carefully.

Illegal Immigrants Could Receive Social Security, Medicare Under Obama Action

Under President Obama’s new program to protect millions of illegal immigrants from deportation, many of those affected will be eligible to receive Social Security, Medicare, and a wide array of other federal benefits.

FDA Menu Labels May Freak Restaurants into Swapping Fries for Fruit

The Food and Drug Administration unveiled long-awaited rules requiring restaurants, grocery deli counters, convenience stores, and other outlets with more than 20 locations to post calories counts on their menus.

Turning 21? Here’s How to Avoid a Big Hike in Health Insurance Premiums

For those insured through the federal health insurance marketplace that operates in about three dozen states, turning 21 could mean a whopping 58 percent jump in health insurance premiums in 2015 if you don’t take the steps outlined in this article.

Detroit Neurosurgeon Aria Sabit Arrested for Alleged Insurance Fraud

A Detroit-area neurosurgeon was arrested for allegedly defrauding federal and private health-insurance programs by billing for spine surgeries that he either didn’t perform or that were medically unnecessary.

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Although we’d all like to avoid it, it’s likely that most of us will at some point be admitted to the hospital. Whether you are staying in a hospital for a happy event, such as the birth of a child, or are being admitted due to an emergency or serious illness, you should understand how a hospital works. MyHealthSpin’s Easy Healthcare: Your Hospital Stay reveals the easy and practical answers that only an insider knows.

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Available for download NOW!