Congress likely to miss deadline for privacy law
The chances that Congress will meet next month’s deadline for passing medical record confidentiality legislation are dwindling by the day. "It is not looking positive for either the House or Senate to meet the Aug. 21 deadline," says Doug Peticord of the Washington, DC-based Washington Health Advocates.
If Congress fails to pass a bill, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 will pass the torch to the Department of Health and Human Services, which has until next year to come up with final regulations on its own.
Congress may attempt to extend its self-imposed deadline until the end of the year but the Clinton administration could always eliminate that option with a presidential veto.
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