August 6, 2001

"The federal government has no business tracking your medical history," Congressman Wamp said this week as he cosponsored legislation that prevents the federal government from creating national medical ID numbers for Americans.

The Patient Privacy Act repeals portions of a 1996 federal law, specifically forbidding any government agency from creating a "standard unique health care identifier." It would also prohibit the use of your tax dollars for the development of a national health information database.

"As patients, we must place absolute trust in our doctors, and give them specific information about our conditions and symptoms so they can treat us effectively," Wamp said. "But, a federal medical ID would give bureaucrats access to the intimate details of our doctor and hospital visits. Patients won?t want to discuss sensitive problems if they know that information will be turned over to the federal government."

The national health ID proposal was widely criticized when first pushed by the Clinton Administration, and Congress has voted to suspend funding for the program in one-year increments. This bill would eliminate the program altogether.