Yarnification

I normally don’t discuss politics and all that here, but since this happened so quietly that I never knew about it until now, I thought I’d pass it on.

Americans’ health privacy violated

SUE BLEVINS

State governments nationwide soon plan to electronically track Americans’ use of commonly prescribed medications for pain, anxiety, attention-deficit disorder and sleep disorders.

On Aug. 11, President Bush signed into law the National All Schedules Prescription Electronic Reporting Act of 2005. It authorizes 60 million taxpayer dollars over five years to establish electronic prescription drug surveillance programs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. It requires those dispensing controlled substances (such as pharmacists and physicians) to submit information to state governments within one week of filling prescriptions, including patients’ names, addresses and telephone numbers. Data also will be collected on animal owners whose pets are prescribed controlled substances by veterinarians.

The whole things is at: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/sunnews/news/opinion/12558821.htm Please go read it. I am appalled by this. I don’t feel the government has a right to collect and hand out information about what medications I’m taking. I really feel alarmed these days at the erosion of personal privacy by the government. My fear is that this will lead to bureaucrats attempting to practice medicine by engaging in witch hunts against doctors who are simply treating their patients.

Without having read the legislation (I’ve only read this one article, and I’m about to go do more research after I post this), it sounds like it applies to controlled substances that are scheduled by the DEA, not all prescriptions. Now, if you go to that link, scroll past the schedule I crack/PCP/weed-fest—I don’t think there are any prescription drugs on schedule I— and take a look at what’s on schedules II-V.

Do you think that government agencies have a right to keep records of the fact that your doctor prescribed Tussionex for the horrible cough you had during that bout of bronchitis? Anyone out there who takes Lomotil for IBS? Vicodin for flareups of chronic pain? Ritalin for attention deficit disorder? (My family doctor already feels unable to prescribe anything but Strattera for ADD because the state medical board has been breathing down the necks of non-psychiatric doctors who treat ADD, even though he knows me and my issues far better than a stranger I’d be seeing for ten minutes once a month and even though I can’t afford to see a psychiatrist.)

And now that this has passed so quietly and with no discernible protest from anyone, what’s to stop it from expanding it to include all prescriptions? Or from being turned into a marketing database, for that matter?

Like John Prine once said, “I love America. I just don’t know how to get there anymore.”