Although Americans strongly support medical privacy, recent legislation expands access to individually identifiable medical records without patient permission. How these laws came to pass is a lesson in the political tactics of misrepresentation, tying controversial laws to popular causes, and incrementalism.

Charlotte Twight is a Research Fellow at the Independent Institute and Professor of Economics at Boise State University.
Health and HealthcareHealth InsuranceHealth Savings AccountsLaw and LibertyMedicare and MedicaidPrivacy
Other Independent Review articles by Charlotte Twight
Fall 2017 Passing the Affordable Care Act: Transaction Costs, Legerdemain, Acquisition of Control
Winter 2015/16 Through the Mist: American Liberty and Political Economy, 2065
Fall 2015 Dodd–Frank: Accretion of Power, Illusion of Reform
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