Sens. Snowe, Coburn Threaten To Block Health IT Bill Over Funding, Privacy Concerns

Main Category: IT / Internet / E-mail
Article Date: 04 Aug 2008 - 5:00 PDT

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Sens. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) have threatened to block a floor vote on a bill (S 1693) that would create a nationwide electronic health record system, CongressDaily reports. The bill -- sponsored by Sens. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Michael Enzi (R-Wyo.) -- was "hotlined" Thursday in an attempt to bring it to the floor by unanimous consent, but the threats by Snowe and Coburn could delay voting on the measure until after the August recess, according to CongressDaily.

Snowe said she believes consumer privacy protections should go further than the language agreed to by Kennedy, Enzi and Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) in May. Enzi -- ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee -- said that the privacy section of the bill is sufficient. He added, "I have no doubt that industry can keep every bit of information secure and if they don't, I think they're out of business."

Coburn has said that the measure's rules on sharing medical information and data breach notification need to be amended. He also has argued against the bill's authorization of more than $100 million annually in new funds for grant and loan programs to encourage health information technology adoption. Coburn wants the language in the bill to loosen rules that allow hospitals to provide equipment to physicians at no cost or at a discount, which would need approval from the Senate Finance Committee.

Enzi on Thursday acknowledged that consideration of the bill likely would be delayed until September. According to CongressDaily, aides have been meeting with health care, technology and consumer advocates to "fine-tune" the bill. "We keep wordsmithing and wordsmithing," Enzi said, adding, "Health IT is so significant and so important that everyone wants their fingerprints on it. That's holding it up and it's too bad" (Noyes, CongressDaily, 8/1).

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