News Archive
Professor Terry Debunks HIPAA Violation Claim by Georgia Lawmaker
07/27/2021
U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) is wrong when she claims that asking if she is vaccinated “violated” her HIPAA rights, according to IU McKinney Law Professor Nicolas Terry.
In a July 21 interview with WEHT, the ABC affiliate in Henderson, Kentucky, Professor Terry explained the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 does not pertain to being directly asked for medical information.
Professor Terry explained that anyone from a friend, a health care provider, a university, or an employer can ask about vaccination status, but people also have the right not to answer. Instead, Terry says HIPAA relates to patient information security, so a health care provider cannot release a patient’s information without their consent.
Professor Terry is Executive Director of the Hall Center for Law and Health at IU McKinney, where he teaches healthcare and health policy courses. He is one of the permanent bloggers at the Bill of Health blog, a host of “The Week in Health Law” podcast at TWIHL.com, and @nicolasterry on twitter.
