Minnesota Department of Health Tries to Shut Down CCHF’s Informative Mailings to Parents About Use and Storage of Baby DNA

ST. PAUL, Minn.—For more than a century, the contact information from state registration of births has been public in the state of Minnesota. And that information is how Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom (CCHF,www.cchfreedom.org), a Minnesota-based national organization dedicated to preserving patient-centered health care and protecting patient and privacy rights, recently sent nearly 10,000 letters to parents of newborns, letting them know that the state of Minnesota is storing and can use their baby’s DNA for genetic research without consent.

Interoperability Bill would Connect Electronic Health Records across the Country

Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom Says Americans’ Private Health Data is Already at Risk and Forced Interoperability Will Make Gaining Access Even Easier

ST. PAUL, Minn.—One lawmaker is pushing for a bill that will require all Electronic Health Records (EHRs) in the country to work together and be able to communicate from system to system.

Five Terrible Outcomes of Obamacare, Five Years after Law’s Enactment

ST. PAUL, Minn. Five years ago today - on March 23, 2010 - President Barack Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, into law. And for the past five years, hardly a day goes by when some element of the federal health care overhaul doesn’t make news.

Despite New Parental Consent Provisions, Newborn Babies’ DNA Still at Risk

ST. PAUL, Minn.—Beginning tomorrow, a newborn’s DNA collected at the time of newborn screening may not be used for federally funded research unless the parents have given their express written permission, due to the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act of 2014, which became law in December.

If SCOTUS Rules for King, ACA Puts Doctors and Hospitals on the Hook for Non-Paying Patients

ST. PAUL, Minn.—When the U.S. Supreme Court announces its ruling in the landmark Obamacare case King v. Burwell, millions of people could see their health freedom restored if the Court rules in favor of the plaintiffs.

CCHF Alerts Parents About Government Storage and Use of Their Baby’s DNA

ST. PAUL, Minn.—Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom (CCHF, www.cchfreedom.org) wants parents of newborns in Minnesota to know that they aren’t the only ones who know their babies intimately.

CCHF Gathering Online Petitions to Stop Minnesota-Only EHR Mandate

ST. PAUL, Minn.—As the new year began, doctors and mental health professionals discovered a troubling Minnesota mandate, the only one like it in the entire nation. On January 1, 2015, every health care provider in the State of Minnesota was required to employ an Electronic Health Records (EHR) system—which could cost tens of thousands of dollars and will compromise patients’ private medical information.

Supreme Court Begins Hearing Arguments Wednesday That Could Unravel Obamacare

ST. PAUL, Minn.—On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court will begin hearing arguments in the landmark case King v. Burwell, which, if found in favor of the plaintiffs this summer, could unravel Obamacare for good.

Obamacare Racks Up More Failures

ST. PAUL, Minn.—The second Obamacare open enrollment period officially ended Sunday—after a week’s extension due to more web site glitches. Meanwhile, late last week the Obama Administration announced it had sent approximately 800,000 Healthcare.gov customers incorrect tax forms and asked them to delay filing their taxes as a result. It also extended enrollment until April 20 to give people penalized for being uninsured in 2014 time to get covered in 2015.

CCH Freedom Testifies on Three Ways to Protect Medical Privacy at House Committee Hearing 

The Minnesota House of Representatives Civil Law and Data Practices Committee, held an informational hearing to learn more about protecting patients’ health information in the state.

The morning’s presentation, titled “Protecting Medical Privacy in Minnesota,” included testimony by CCHF on protecting patients’ rights and data and the threats to Minnesota’s current privacy protections as a result of efforts to repeal the state’s privacy law by requiring the state to conform to HIPAA.