Like all invasions into our freedom and liberty, there are some benefits to centralized medical records. But, and it's a big but, any semblance of confidentiality and privacy will be lost and we can't opt out - the choice isn't ours. Not dissimilar to the U.S. census. There is a valid and constitutional reason for a "count" but the questions far exceed what was intended by the framers. The government, like a headstrong child, will push every limit until we refuse to submit. Hail Patrick Henry !
Big Government wants ever more control - how well we know that! "National this, national that..." - ad infinitum. They have been touting the national online database here - playing up the fact that you can go anywhere and the doc can access your medical records. Sounds good to the elderly retirees here in sunny Florida. But being a longtime programmer here for the State, I know just how dangerous it is to have your personal information 'out there'! We have serious protocols and rules concerning the transfer of "Personally Identifying Information" - I do NOT know or trust what kind of protections the Feds would have for my info! I know of at least one guy locally with my same name - how easy to get our info switched or confused? Now imagine THAT problem goes national......
How convenient, won't that make it easier. I wonder how long it will take for those who have been prescribed anti-depressants to be denied gun ownership. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong but isn't that already happening to soldiers being treated for post traumatic stress disorder.
The problem isn't centralized records or ID cards or any one of ten thousand things that would make some things easier. The problem is one of trust. If I trusted our Government, I wouldn't mind an ID card or centralized medical records because I would feel confident that I wouldn't be abused by them. The thing is, I no longer trust anyone to have my best interest at heart especially our federal government. I was just today wondering what happened to our society that it's now accepted that it's okay to screw anyone as long as the screwer benefits from it. I remember bad people when I was young but the consensus of opinion was always that they were doing wrong. These days wrong means getting caught and even that can be rectified if you have friends in high places.
you're right about the trust factor...right now, I wouldn't trust the government if they said I needed a life-saving vaccine and they would provide it to me for free! Before, that sentence would have been more sarcastic, but now it has a literal meaning! I have some recent first hand experience with government record keeping since my husband works for "the man". He has had five clerical errors in his record since the short time he has been in---none being his fault. It has taken no less than 10 visits to the office and six months for each mistake to be rectified. One error was over vaccinations, which he was ordered to receive again! All because someone lost the records while walking across the street! Thanks for giving my husband double "safe" vaccinations. What if, in this wonderful centralized record keeping, an error was made on your record stating that you had already received that cat scan you so desperately need. Is it going to take six months of your life to get the error fixed so that you can actually get your cat scan? What if you don't have that kind of time? If the military healthcare and records is any indication of how government run healthcare and records will be, then we're in bad shape. It's the most inefficient system in the US.
