Tag Archives: privacy

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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 21, 2014

Insurance Or Assurance ConceptThis week, our helpful health care links focus on a variety of topics- a breakdown of what you need to know when signing up for ObamaCare this Open Enrollment period. We also included an eye-opening article from NPR discussing the level of privacy your smart phone apps provide you. 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!

Obamacare Open Enrollment Period: What You Need to Know

The second annual enrollment period for health plans through federal and state exchanges has started. If you need to buy health insurance or make changes to your current plan, you have until Feb. 15 to get it done.

Metro Detroit Employers Projected to Save in 2015 with Lower-Cost, High-Deductible Health Plans

Southeast Michigan’s total health benefit costs for active employees are projected to increase only 2.9 percent in 2015 as employers continue to make changes in benefit plans, primarily going to lower-cost, high-deductible plans.

How Well Do Your Apps Protect Your Privacy?

PrivacyGrade is a site for people to figure out what information their apps might be collecting. You’ll be surprised how much personall information is tracked by your phone activity.

New ‘Hutch’ Director Aims to Push Toward Cancer Cures Based on The Immune System

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle is announcing that it has hired former Merck cancer research boss Gary Gilliland as its next director.

As California Expands Medicaid to New Beneficiaries, Many Others Are Dropped

Even as the state celebrates its enrollment of more than 2.7 million low-income Californians in Medi-Cal in 2014, it may drop an unusually high number of beneficiaries from its rolls by year’s end.

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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!