CCHF Denounces Current Push to Implement Unique Patient ID

CCHF Denounces Current Push to Implement Unique Patient ID

ST. PAUL Minn. – The 1996 passage of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) entailed a hotly contested mandate to issue each and every American a Unique Patient Identifier, or UPI, number. The new form of medical identification would identify every patient, link their medical records, and allow for broad sharing, monitoring research, and analysis of the American public through the Nationwide Health Information Network, or NHIN. Public outcry against the UPI forced Congress to prohibit funding for the card, in order to stop its implementation.

NwHIN Governance in the Works; Public has One Week Left to Comment

NwHIN Governance in the Works; Public has One Week Left to Comment

ST. PAUL, Minn. – With only one week left for the public to comment to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) about potential governance mechanisms for the proposed Nationwide Health Information Network, the Citizens Council for Health Freedom (CCHF) is encouraging all Americans to act in opposition to the nationwide network.

Medicare Bankruptcy in (10 years); Obama Plans to Cut Medicare Advantage Program

Medicare Bankruptcy in (10 years); Obama Plans to Cut Medicare Advantage Program
The report recently made headlines as it estimated that Medicare would be bankrupt by the year 2024, but could be out of money as early as 2017—just five years from now—if expenses run high.

 

Don’t Sign: HIPAA Shares Patient Data 
with 2.2 Million Organizations

Don’t Sign: HIPAA Shares Patient Data 
with 2.2 Million Organizations

St. Paul, Minn.— It happens to all of us each time we go to the doctor. A piece of paper is pushed across the desk for us to sign, acknowledging our receipt of the “privacy practices” of the hospital, doctor’s office or clinic. 

But did you know you are not required to sign that form? In fact, according to one patient advocate, signing the form could actually jeopardize your patient freedoms in the future.

17 Trillion Reasons to Repeal Obamacare

17 Trillion Reasons to Repeal Obamacare
St. Paul, Minn.—As if Obamacare opponents didn’t have enough cause to fight to repeal the federal health care law, three new billion-dollar financial reasons emerged this week, further proving that the government health reform law will be detrimental for the country.

Standardized Care Hurts Patient Experience - New Study

Standardized Care Hurts Patient Experience -  New Study
St. Paul, Minn.—Which is more important? Standardizing care or ensuring a positive patient experience?
 
To patient advocate Twila Brase, president and co-founder of Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom, a patient-centered national health policy organization based in St. Paul, Minn., there shouldn’t be a trade-off. But new research shows that hospitals that adopt strategies to meet government requirements see a decline in the quality of individual patient experiences.

Twila Brase Offers SCOTUS Hearings Analysis, Gives 5 Individual Mandate Arguments 

Twila Brase Offers SCOTUS Hearings Analysis, Gives 5 Individual Mandate Arguments 
“The hearings last week will have a lasting impact on our quality of life, our freedoms and our system of health care in the U.S. ,” Brase said. “It has been decades since the Supreme Court decided a case that will impact so many Americans. History is being made in our lifetime and the only question now is how will the court rule and what will it mean for the future of freedom.”

Obamacare Fails Four Key Tests

Obamacare Fails Four Key Tests
St. Paul, Minn.— Today, the Supreme Court will begin hearing arguments on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act—or Obamacare—the controversial federal health care overhaul that patient advocates say takes away individual freedoms and, therefore, goes against the tenets of the U.S. Constitution.
 

MO Business Owner 1st to Sue Federal Gov't Over Religious Freedoms in HHS Mandate

MO Business Owner 1st to Sue Federal Gov't Over Religious Freedoms in HHS Mandate
St. Paul, Minn.—In the inaugural case of its kind, a Missouri business owner is the first individual to sue the Department of Health and Human Services, saying its controversial contraceptive mandate violates his constitutionally-protected religious beliefs.

‘Marketplace’ of State Exchanges Sends Patient Data Straight to Federal Gov't Agencies

‘Marketplace’ of State Exchanges Sends Patient Data Straight to Federal Gov't Agencies
St. Paul, Minn.— With the pending Supreme Court hearing on health care taking place in two weeks, much will be uncovered about Obamacare. President Obama and others compare the health insurance exchanges to the functionality of online airline bookings. Exchanges have been billed as online “marketplaces” where consumers can shop for the “best deal and the smartest health insurance plan.” These health insurance exchanges seem harmless on the surface. Federal officials are even offering to let each state create their own exchange, giving the impression that states will have control over the process.