Health records are already less private than most people think.
And despite new federal regulations that were finalized April 14, it's unclear whether converting them to electronic form will make them more safe or less. We have decided we want research, and researchers need access to records. Health information can leak out of the system even when the privacy of a medical record remains intact. Expectant mothers, for example, are routinely bombarded by offers for parenting magazines, samples of baby formula and freebie bottles, nipples and onesies, even when they haven't asked for such goodies and don't remember signing up for them. Medical privacy is of vital concern to Americans.