The Electronic Privacy Information Center provides an overview of Medical Privacy Issues. Your doctor, of course. Probably you have released your records to your insurance company. The MIB has files containing medical information on millions of people. Insurance firms use MIB to check on applicants for life and health insurance.
Employers can obtain medical information about employees when they are paying for medical insurance.
If medical information gets out, patients are at risk of discrimination, loss of insurance, loss of employment, and lack of privacy concerning sensitive health issues. Unauthorized changes to medical files could result in misdiagnosis. In the long run, people might avoid professional medical care if they are not sure their privacy will be ensured. The following incidents have been reported concerning misuse of medical information. List of HIV positive patients sent to newspapers.