H 494 a step in the right direction
H 494 will require providers inform parents that their child’s vaccination records will be entered into the tri-state database system. Most parents are not aware that the IRIS database exists and that they have the option to have their children’s confidential medical information expunged from the system by contacting the Health and Welfare Department after EACH doctor’s visit or school/daycare enrollment. HFI hopes to see IRIS a completely OPT IN system as it was in years past, however this is a step in the right direction.
IRIS is used to assimilate the medical information regarding our child’s vaccinations (or lack thereof) without the knowledge or consent of a parent or guardians. We know from the problems many parents have reported that many parents have no idea that IRIS (the Idaho Immunization Registry) even exists, no idea that their children’s information is being entered into the system, no idea that the registry is voluntary and that they may opt out completely yet Idaho Code 39-4803 explicitly states that the registry is voluntary.
IDHW sends out a paper shortly after your child is born saying that they are enrolled into IRIS, but you receive that about a month after they are born and in the mix of all the other paperwork you get at the hospital or from 3rd parties after a child is born, it doesn’t stick out as anything important unless you already know what you’re looking at.
The Health Department requires an online registration to OPT OUT of their system.
While you can ask for your information to be removed from the system, it can and will, be entered back in at anytime by authorized users (doctor, schools, daycare). Your children’s medical information is likely in the database RIGHT NOW. You must OPT OUT to have your information removed from the IRIS database. However, once your information is shared within the government tracking database, authorized 3rd parties can take the information and use it as they wish. While you can opt out of IRIS and purge your child’s information from their IRIS system, you are unable to purge it from the third party systems once it has been accessed.
This is wrong, and a violation of privacy.
Do you think our tracking system should be something you can OPT IN to if you wish rather than being forced in?
H494 adds a layer of protection for the parents of Idaho by requiring parent’s signature that they have been notified that their children have been enrolled into IRIS. While you tell the legislators VOTE YES this might be a good opportunity to tell the legislators to make the immunization tracking system require parental consent BEFORE adding your children to a government database. The statute already states its a voluntary tracking system. Let legislator’s know we need more than another piece of paper to sign at the doctor’s office! True Informed consent would be IRIS OPT IN!
Email Blasts to Health & Welfare
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Committee Members
Chair- Fred Wood – (208) 332-1074
Vice Chair – Kelley Packer – (208) 332-1045
Christy Perry – (208) 332-1044
John Vander Woude – (208) 332-1037
Eric Redman – (208) 332-1070
Megan Blanksma – (208) 332-1054
Karey Hanks – (208) 332-1056Mike Kingsley (208) 332-1133
Jarom Wagoner (208) 332-1052
Brian Zollinger – (208) 332-1073
Sue Chew (208) 332-1049
Ilana Rubel (208) 332-1034
YOUR REPRESENTATIVES FOR 2018
Email each group of Representatives separately to avoid the spam filters.
REPRESENTATIVES GROUP 1
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REPRESENTATIVES GROUP 2
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REPRESENTATIVES GROUP 3
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REPRESENTATIVES GROUP 4
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REPRESENTATIVES GROUP 5
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REPRESENTATIVES GROUP 6
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REPRESENTATIVES GROUP 7
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Did you hear back from a Senator or Representative. SHARE with Health Freedom Idaho. You can either forward the email to [email protected]
Send a quick THANK YOU NOTE to the H 494 sponsors who agree the current system of automatic entry is a violation of privacy and informed consent.
Quick Email list: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
- Representative Paul Amador
- Representative Randy Armstrong
- Representative Judy Boyle
- Representative Gayann DeMordaunt
- Representative Karey Hanks
- Representative Mike Kingsley
- Representative Dorothy Moon
- Representative Mike Moyle
- Representative John Vander Woude
- Representative Bryan Zollinger
- Representative Megan Blanksma* SPONSOR
HISTORY OF IRIS:
-IRIS was originally created to allow parents a centralized place to “store” their children’s vaccination records in case they lost their hard copies, and it would be easily accessible to parents, other legal guardians, child care providers, and health care workers if the parents allowed them access to it.
-IRIS was also an opt-in program originally, so when a parent went in for a well child check, they could sign a waiver (along with the HIPAA form) that allowed their doctor to put their child’s vaccination information into IRIS (because it is private health information, protected by HIPAA). *we need to return to this type of system to protect our children’s privacy.
-In 2012, IRIS became an opt-out program because doctors complained that the one extra page of paperwork was “too much work”. Now most parents don’t even know their children’s PHI is in IRIS. They can technically opt out by submitting a written statement to IDHW, but it doesn’t function that seemlessly.
-In 2015, provisions were made to allow 3rd parties access to our children’s vaccination records by omitting the section that previously required records to be expunged from 3rd parties as well when parents opted out of IRIS.
DANGERS:
- Because it is an opt-out program, the majority of parents do not know their children’s information is in IRIS. IDHW sends out a paper shortly after your child is born saying that they are enrolled into IRIS, but you receive that about a month after they are born and in the mix of all the other paperwork you get at the hospital or from 3rd parties after a child is born, it doesn’t stick out as anything important unless you already know what you’re looking at.
- Currently, personal medical records will be on file with IDHW until you opt out (and DHW states that it may take up to 2 weeks for you to opt out officially and your records be expunged from H&W)
. - Your medical information will be given to third parties that DO NOT have to expunge your information, nor do these 3rd parties have to disclose to you that they HAVE your medical information (now, there are 3rd parties, but they are named in the current statute, whereas 2 years ago they were not in the original bill).
Particularly since this is done without one’s consent, or even knowledge, it is a violation of HIPAA. Once you opt out, the burden is on you to ensure that H&W has actually expunged that info (and remember, other 3rd parties do not have to). This is not just any time you go to the doctor for vaccinations. This is every single time you go to a pharmacist, an ER, an urgent care, to get a mammogram, etc. It is hospital policy to ask patients about vaccination status every time they go in, and there is pressure to give you a flu shot and a DTaP booster every time you go in for any kind of injury, especially when you don’t remember when you last received them, even if you are sick (many hospitals even require pressure to be put on those who have immune disorders). This is wrong, and dangerous. “Intent” of the law doesn’t matter so much as the possibility for the law to be misused against the people. Not to mention the inherent violations of privacy written into this particular one.
MORE ABOUT IRIS
