Latest news with #SharonaHoffman
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Florida seeks patient prescription data
Florida's insurance regulator is demanding detailed prescription data on millions of patients, raising alarms over patient privacy. In January, the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation asked pharmacy benefit managers -- companies that manage prescription drug plans -- to hand over highly personal data about prescriptions filled in the state last year. The data request includes the patients' full names and dates of birth, names of medications filled and doctors they've seen. It's unclear why the state wants these details. In a letter to one benefit manager reviewed by The New York Times, the regulator said Florida needed to check whether pharmacy benefit managers are following a 2023 state law that aimed to lower drug prices. But employers and others say the request could expose highly sensitive health data to misuse. "You don't need such granular patient information for purposes of oversight," Sharona Hoffman, a health law and privacy expert at Case Western Reserve University, told The Times. "You have to worry: Is the government actually trying to get information about reproductive care or transgender care or mental health care?" she added. The data demand comes at a time when Florida has passed strict laws restricting abortion access and transgender care. These laws require that doctors dispense abortion pills in person and limit access to gender-affirming care for minors. Florida's data request could, in theory, be used to check whether doctors are following these laws -- although the state has not said whether that's the reason, The Times reported. The American Benefits Council, which represents 430 large employers and service organizations, said the request "violates the health privacy and security of millions of Floridians," and that the state had failed to clearly outline its authority or reasons for the action. "We have a duty to employees and their data," Katy Johnson, the president of the council, said in an interview. Shiloh Elliott, a spokeswoman for the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, said the objections "are clearly from those who do not want to be regulated or have any oversight in their industry." She added that the office "will continue to request data in the best interest to protect consumers." Elliott added that concerns "should be addressed to the actual health care insurance companies that have had countless data breaches exposing millions of Americans' sensitive information." Experts say Florida already has access to prescription data for Medicaid patients, but that data is usually tightly restricted to staff who need it. Joseph Shields, president of Transparency-Rx, a trade group for smaller benefit managers, called Florida's request "pretty expansive and unprecedented." Rosa Novo, benefits director for Miami-Dade County Public Schools, which provides health insurance to about 45,000 people, told The Times she supports efforts to reduce drug prices -- but not at the expense of their privacy. "My doctor is the only one who should know that," Novo said. More information The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has more on the HIPAA Privacy Rule. Copyright © 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Boston Globe
05-03-2025
- Health
- Boston Globe
Florida seeks drug prescription data with names of patients and doctors
Advertisement But the demand is sparking concerns about government overreach and patient privacy. 'You don't need such granular patient information for purposes of oversight,' said Sharona Hoffman, a health law and privacy expert at Case Western Reserve University. She added: 'You have to worry: Is the government actually trying to get information about reproductive care or transgender care or mental health care?' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Florida's six-week abortion ban, enacted by Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, and the state's Republican-dominated Legislature, requires that doctors who prescribe abortion pills dispense them in person, not through the mail. Another Florida law banned transgender transition care for minors and made it harder for adults to seek such care. Last year, a judge struck down key parts of that law, though it is still being enforced while the legal fight makes its way through the courts. The data requested by the state could, in theory, be used to determine whether physicians are complying with those laws. It was also unclear whether any of the benefit managers had complied and turned over the information to the state. Some benefit managers and the employers that hire them to handle prescription drug benefits for their workers have also criticized the state's demand. A group of large employers, the American Benefits Council, is asking the Florida regulator to withdraw its order to turn over the information. In a letter to the state, the council's lawyers wrote that the 'demand impermissibly violates the health privacy and security of millions of Floridians,' and that the state had not clearly outlined its authority or reasons for the action. Advertisement 'We have a duty to employees and their data,' Katy Johnson, the president of the council, said in an interview. Shiloh Elliott, a spokesperson for Florida's insurance regulator, said that objections to the state's data request 'are clearly from those who do not want to be regulated or have any oversight in their industry.' She said the office 'will continue to request data in the best interest to protect consumers.' Rosa Novo, the administrative benefits director for Miami-Dade County Public Schools, which provides health coverage to about 45,000 people, said in an interview that while she appreciated the state's efforts to address drug prices, it was unclear why it would need this level of detailed information about patients and their medications. 'My doctor is the only one who should know that,' Novo said. Federal privacy law allows benefit managers to hand over limited data about individual patients in certain circumstances, such as when regulators are conducting an audit. But, according to experts, Florida's data request could violate the law because it is so broad and may go beyond what the regulator needs to conduct its review. Experts said that another concern with Florida's request is that when sensitive patient data is in multiple hands, it raises the risk of a breach in which the information may be stolen. Elliott said those concerns 'should be addressed to the actual health care insurance companies that have had countless data breaches exposing millions of Americans' sensitive information.' Florida's data order was first reported by Bloomberg. Advertisement Like other states, Florida already has access to some of the data it is seeking, such as detailed information about prescriptions that are paid through Medicaid. But that data is generally strictly walled off, accessible only to staff members whose jobs require it. Benefit managers often field requests from government regulators asking for slices of data to conduct audits or investigations. Such requests typically ask benefit managers to strip out patient names, and other identifying details, or ask for a small sample of patient claims. By comparison, Florida's data request was 'pretty expansive and unprecedented,' said Joseph Shields, the president of a group of smaller benefit managers, Transparency-Rx. Florida sought data not only on Florida residents, but also on patients who may have filled a prescription while visiting the state. Its request included patients covered through the federal Medicare program and commercial plans through employers that are regulated under federal law rather than state law, according to the regulator's letter to one benefit manager reviewed by the Times. The Prescription Drug Reform Act, the Florida law the regulator used to justify the data request, imposed new reporting requirements on the benefit managers but said nothing about a mandate requiring them to turn over such detailed patient information. Benefit managers have fiercely fought efforts to scrutinize their business practices. This article originally appeared in .
New York Times
05-03-2025
- Health
- New York Times
Florida Seeks Drug Prescription Data With Names of Patients and Doctors
Florida's insurance regulator has demanded an unusually intrusive trove of data on millions of prescription drugs filled in the state last year, including the names of patients taking the medications, their dates of birth and doctors they've seen. The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation in January sought this information from pharmacy benefit managers like UnitedHealth's Optum Rx and CVS Health's Caremark, companies that oversee prescription drugs for employers and government programs. It remained unclear why the state was ordering the submission of so much data. In a letter to one benefit manager reviewed by The New York Times, the regulator said the state required the data to review whether the benefit managers, known as P.B.M.s, were compliant with a 2023 state law aimed at lowering drug prices and reining in the managers. But the demand is sparking concerns about government overreach and patient privacy. 'You don't need such granular patient information for purposes of oversight,' said Sharona Hoffman, a health law and privacy expert at Case Western Reserve University. She added: 'You have to worry: Is the government actually trying to get information about reproductive care or transgender care or mental health care?' Florida's six-week abortion ban, enacted by Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, and the state's Republican-dominated legislature, requires that doctors who prescribe abortion pills dispense them in person, not through the mail. Another Florida law banned transgender transition care for minors and made it harder for adults to seek such care. Last year, a judge struck down key parts of that law, though it is still being enforced while the legal fight makes its way through the courts. The data requested by the state could, in theory, be used to determine whether physicians are complying with those laws. It was also unclear whether any of the benefit managers had complied and turned over the information to the state. Some benefit managers and the employers that hire them to handle prescription drug benefits for their workers have also criticized the state's demand. A group of large employers, the American Benefits Council, is asking the Florida regulator to withdraw its order to turn over the information. In a letter to the state, the council's lawyers wrote that the 'demand impermissibly violates the health privacy and security of millions of Floridians,' and that the state had not clearly outlined its authority or reasons for the action. 'We have a duty to employees and their data,' Katy Johnson, the president of the council, said in an interview. Shiloh Elliott, a spokeswoman for Florida's insurance regulator, said that objections to the state's data request 'are clearly from those who do not want to be regulated or have any oversight in their industry.' She said the office 'will continue to request data in the best interest to protect consumers.' Rosa Novo, the administrative benefits director for Miami-Dade County Public Schools, which provides health coverage to about 45,000 people, said in an interview that while she appreciated the state's efforts to address drug prices, it was unclear why it would need this level of detailed information about patients and their medications. 'My doctor is the only one who should know that,' Ms. Novo said. Federal privacy law allows benefit managers to hand over limited data about individual patients in certain circumstances, such as when regulators are conducting an audit. But, according to experts, Florida's data request could violate the law because it is so broad and may go beyond what the regulator needs to conduct its review. Experts said that another concern with Florida's request is that when sensitive patient data is in multiple hands, it raises the risk of a breach in which the information may be stolen. Ms. Elliott, the spokeswoman for the regulator, said those concerns 'should be addressed to the actual health care insurance companies that have had countless data breaches exposing millions of Americans' sensitive information.' Florida's data order was first reported by Bloomberg. Like other states, Florida already has access to some of the data it is seeking, such as detailed information about prescriptions that are paid through Medicaid. But that data is generally strictly walled off, accessible only to staff members whose jobs require it. Benefit managers often field requests from government regulators asking for slices of data to conduct audits or investigations. Such requests typically ask benefit managers to strip out patient names, and other identifying details, or ask for a small sample of patient claims. By comparison, Florida's data request was 'pretty expansive and unprecedented,' said Joseph Shields, the president of a group of smaller benefit managers, Transparency-Rx. Florida sought data not only on Florida residents, but also on patients who may have filled a prescription while visiting the state. Its request included patients covered through the federal Medicare program and commercial plans through employers that are regulated under federal law rather than state law, according to the regulator's letter to one benefit manager reviewed by The Times. The Prescription Drug Reform Act, the Florida law the regulator used to justify the data request, imposed new reporting requirements on the benefit managers but said nothing about a mandate requiring them to turn over such detailed patient information. Benefit managers have fiercely fought efforts to scrutinize their business practices. Florida's data request was first reported by Bloomberg.
