My doctor's office sold my health data and I found out by accident

I went to switch insurance last month and the agent pulled up my file from a data broker. It had my exact diagnosis codes and visit dates from the last 2 years. My doctor's office apparently sold my info to a third party without asking me first. I called them and they said it's in the fine print nobody reads. This whole system feels like a scam where we're the product and we don't even know it. Has anyone else found their medical info floating around out there?

4 comments

4 Comments

john_fisher11d ago

Wait, the insurance agent pulled up your diagnosis codes from a broker? That is a new level of creepy I wasn't prepared for. I figured maybe someone sold my name and address but not my exact medical visit details. So the fine print basically says they can sell your whole medical history and you just click agree without knowing. That feels like it should be illegal or at least require a separate checkbox. Guess I need to start reading those 50 page forms with a lawyer.

claire_young7611d ago

@aaron740 Those diagnosis codes still reveal specific health conditions though, what's the real difference?

aaron74011d ago

You mentioned "they can sell your whole medical history" and honestly @john_fisher I think you're overreacting a bit here. Those diagnosis codes are just billing codes, not your full medical records with doctor notes and stuff. The real problem is people click agree without thinking, but this is the SAME system that lets your doctor share info with specialists without calling you each time. If they had to get a separate checkbox for every single data use, insurance would take even longer to process claims and premiums would go up even more.

owens.anthony11d ago

Right? Guess we're all just patients by day, products by night.