MS Project Health Data Privacy Act; create to prohibit unauthorized disclosure of consumers' health information.
The Act imposes severe restrictions on the types of health data that can be collated by health service providers, aiming to protect consumers' private medical information. If enacted, the law would provide consumers with rights to request deletion of their health records from any entity that processes their data, while ensuring transparency through mandated disclosures about how the health data is handled. Moreover, consumers have the right to withdraw consent and can file lawsuits against entities that violate these terms, thus providing a robust framework for consumer protection in health data privacy.
House Bill 1268, referred to as the 'Mississippi Protect Health Data Privacy Act', aims to enhance the privacy of consumer health data by mandating regulated entities to establish stringent health data privacy policies. The bill defines critical terms related to health data and outlines the conditions under which health data can be collected, shared, and sold. Importantly, it requires explicit consumer consent before any health data is harvested or utilized and prohibits the sale of health data without such consent.
While there is broad support for increasing health data privacy, some concerns have been raised regarding the potential regulatory burdens the bill may impose on healthcare providers and businesses that rely on health data for various services. Additionally, certain sectors worry that the stringent consent requirements could lead to unintended barriers in accessing healthcare services or hinder innovative health data driven solutions.
Another significant aspect of the bill is its prohibition against the use of geofencing for health data, which reflects increasing concerns about location-based tracking in healthcare contexts. Furthermore, the enforcement of the Act will rest with the Attorney General, who is granted wide-ranging powers to pursue violations, thus underscoring the seriousness of adherence to this new law.