Dawn Campbell, RN, BSN posted this in March:

Subject:      insurance co. tells woman to quit BF or pay higher
premiums

 I received a call the other night from a woman who was told if she
 continued to breastfeed she will be charged a higher health insurance
 premium.  I have never heard of such a thing so I asked her permission
to
 post to you "wise ones" to see if this is common--she has given me
 permission.  She is a healthy 30 yr. old mother of two who is currently
 nursing her 3 month old.  She nursed her 3 yr. old with no problems for
18
 months and would like to nurse her infant for at least that long.  When
her
 infant was 6 weeks old she felt like she had the symptoms of mastitis
so
 she went to her OB/GYN and was diagnosed and treated for mastitis with
a
 ten-day course of antibiotics.  Later she received a letter from her
 insurance company asking her if she was still breastfeeding.  She
thought
 it strange that they would want to know, but she answered "yes".  She
then
 received a letter from the insurance company saying that since she had
 gotten mastitis (her first time ever), and was still breastfeeding she
was
 at risk for getting mastitis again.  They were going to change her
health
 risk to a Level 2-- her husband and two children were going to remain a
 Level 1--and increase her premiums.  She very much enjoys breastfeeding
and
 will continue inspite of the cost.  She called the insurance company
and
 asked why she should pay more money for doing the most healthy thing
for
 herself and baby.  They said that they "encourage breastfeeding but
once
 you have gotten mastitis you can get it again and again."  They said
that
 is the only reason her premiums are going up and not due to any other
 aspect of her health.  My question to you all:  Have you ever heard of
this
 before? And, I wonder if insurance companies charge extra to women who
 formula feed due to the increase in illnesses of their babies?  Thanks.

If the above is actually happening with some insurance companies, the
following
may be of interest as to the future sharing of medical records for birth
and lactation outcomes of a mother and her baby and future childbirth
risks.

Dr. Jonathan Wright of Kent, WA used to write a column for Prevention
magazine.
His office was raided about 10 years ago by the FDA and all his patient
records taken due to his importing preservative free injectible B
vitamins
from Germay for his allergy patients.  The originals were never
completely
returned, just photocopies that the government deemed necessary.  He
would
be very concerned about the patient privacy issue.
Judy Ritchie



Attention: Please read the following URGENT message before
June 15, 2001!

The Health Sciences Institute e-Alert

June 11, 2001

*********************************************************
Dear Reader,

You may already be familiar with the medical maverick,
Jonathan Wright, M.D., known for introducing America to
natural medicine and for teaching doctors all over the
world of his applied nutritional research, vitamin cures
for chronic disease, natural hormone therapies, and
fearless attitude toward the FDA and pharmaceutical
companies. He's often referred to as "the greatest medical
detective of our time," and among fellow physicians, he
isn't merely a leader, he's a legend. I'm happy to
introduce Dr. Wright as part of the incredible health
network we have access to here at HSI.

In the April 2001 issue of Dr. Wright's own newsletter,
Nutrition & Healing, he mentioned a set of new "Medical
Privacy Rules," that were developed by the Clinton
Administration during that former president's last few
months in office. As Dr. Wright pointed out, these "privacy
rules" were in fact the rules of "NO Privacy," and urged
his readers to write letters, send e-mails, call-in, etc.

The situation has only intensified over the past few
months, as the deadline for any action to change these
rules draws near. Today he asks that you read his message
while there is still enough time to make a difference.

*********************************************************
Special Update: The "NO MEDICAL PRIVACY RULES"
By: Jonathan Wright, M.D.

You must act now to preserve your medical privacy--or it
will disappear on June 15!

     Unfortunately, the Bush Administration has decided to
accept the deceptively-named "Medical Privacy" regulations
adopted in the last months of the Clinton Administration
without making any changes that would actually safeguard
privacy in your medical records.

    As detailed in the April 2001 issue of Nutrition &
Healing, these privacy-violating regulations specify that:

* Your medical records must be shared, without your
consent, with the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services

* There will be increased disclosure of your medical
records without your consent to a variety of organizations

* If your medical records are in an unauthorized electronic
databank prior to February 26, 2003, the new "privacy" rule
specifically exempts that information from disclosure
rules

* Your doctor (or HMO) may refuse to treat you unless you
agree to disclosure of your records as the doctor (or HMO)
sees fit

* In most cases, you won't even be told that your medical
records have been released without your consent

* You cannot sue if you think your medical privacy has been
violated.

A One-size-does-not-fit-all approach to health care

     In an attempt to stop further federal invasion of our
medical privacy, Representative Ron Paul (R-TX) has
introduced House Joint Resolution (HJR 38) to hopefully
cancel the implementation of these federal medical
"privacy" rules.  The resolution reads:

     "Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives
of the United States of America in Congress assembled, that
Congress disapproves the rule submitted by the Department
of Health and Human Services on December 28, 2000 (volume
65, number 250, page 82462 of the Federal Register),
relating to standards for privacy of individually
identifiable health information, and such rule shall have
no force or effect."

This could be the most blatant case of false advertising
coming out of Congress in years!

    In announcing this resolution, Representative Paul
said, "Many things in Washington are misnamed; however,
this regulation may be the most blatant case of false
advertising I have come across in all my years in Congress.
Rather than protect an individual's right to medical
privacy, these regulations empower government officials to
determine how much medical privacy an individual needs." He
continued, "This one-size-fits-all approach ignores the
fact that different people may prefer different levels of
privacy. Certain individuals may be willing to exchange a
great deal of their personal medical information in order
to obtain certain benefits, such as lower-priced care or
having information targeted to their medical needs sent to
them in a timely manner. Others may forgo those benefits in
order to limit the number of people who have access to
their medical history. Federal bureaucrats cannot possibly
know, much less meet, the optimal level of privacy for each
individual."

It's a direct violation of the Fourth Amendment

    These so-called mecial "privacy" regulations actually
threaten our constitutional liberties. Representative Paul
explains, "These regulations allow law enforcement and
other government officials access to a citizen's private
medical records without having to obtain a search warrant.
Allowing government officials to access a private person's
medical records without a warrant is a violation of the
Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which
protects American citizens from warrantless searches by
government officials. The requirement that law enforcement
officials obtain a warrant from a judge before searching
private documents is one of the fundamental protections
against abuse of the government's power to seize an
individual's private documents."

You must act now!

    Since House Joint Resolution 38 was filed under the
Congressional Review Act, Congress has until June 15, 2001
to repeal the federal medical "privacy" rules. Otherwise,
they will become a permanent part of federal law, and our
medical privacy will be gone.

    If you value your privacy, call, fax or e-mail your
Senators and Congressman today!  It's almost June 15; there
really isn't time to write! If you don't know the telephone
number, there's a Congressional switchboard that will
connect you with any Senator or Congressman;
tel. (202) 225-3121. Or, to send an email, visit

www.defendyourprivacy.com

which will help route your e-mail, and give you as much additional
information on this topic as you need.

But please, DO THIS TODAY! Otherwise, you'll have NO
medical privacy left.

             ***********************************************
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