The recent termination of medical personnel by The Everett Clinic has once again shown the detrimental effects of big government. (March 14, “Everett Clinic fires 13 for snooping.”) Congress took a reasonable idea of the privacy of an individual’s medical information and created a law entitled HIPAA. This was turned over to the bureaucrats, who have put into effect a process where protection of privacy has given way to following rules.

The privacy rules at The Everett Clinic now mean that families who desire access to medical information about spouses and children are denied that access without onerous documentation requirements that only have the effect of limiting access, not protecting privacy. These are people who want their information readily available and are given that right under HIPAA, which does not require any such documentation.

Recently Congress has implemented new legislation entitled HITECH, which has significantly increased penalties for HIPAA violations. The Everett Clinic threw its employees under the bus because it is afraid of the potential financial effect of fines and penalties for not following “the rules,” not because it was protecting the privacy of medical information.

What was it that former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said about Obamacare? Oh yes, “we won’t know what it does until we sign the legislation and put it into effect.” Now that is a comforting thought.

Philip Crossler

Everett