In a Commentary on Feb 9, in Bloomberg, this article caught my eye: “Ruin Your Health With the Obama Stimulus Plan: Betsy McCaughey”. It made some interesting points, and so I did a little research to learn more.

One of the issues slipped in to the Stimulus is: Title XIII – Health Information Technology. (H.R. 1-112) Ostensibly this will help ensure that procedures are not duplicated and that any emergency room in the country could get your full medical history in case – for instance - you are admitted to the emergency room and unable to converse about your medical history.

This sounds all well and good.

Americans have been debating a national database for quite some time. It is a hot-ticket item. However, the process of national databases took a turn toward a fact of our lives through the child support issue, and then illegal aliens. A part of the Secure Borders, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Reform Act of 2007 extended the Employment Eligibility Verification System (EEVS), now requiring employers to verify I9 information through the Department of Homeland Security. Most notable to me was this comment upon passing, by Neal Kurk, a Republican state representative from New Hampshire, in reaction to the immigration bill: "The people of New Hampshire are adamantly opposed to any kind of 'papers-please' society reminiscent of Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia. This is another effort of the federal government to keep track of all its citizens." I wholeheartedly concur.

But, let’s think for a moment about the ramifications of this issue. Firstly, and most importantly, the potential for abuse is high. For instance, what will be the system for labeling each unique record to avoid any normal computer errors? How many lives have already been interrupted because of a computer or operator error of one kind or another? An error in a medical database could be catastrophic. It would have to be an absolutely unique and non-duplicated marker – such as the retina. But has our retina-scanning technology perfected enough and become cost efficient enough to ensure that it would be at every medical facility in the country?

The office of the Health Information Technology, and the position of Coordinator, was actually inaugurated by former President George Bush, through Executive Order #13335. In fact, some of the reasons specified on Section 3001(b) of Title XIII are nearly identical to Section 2 of E.O. #13335. This Act is basically turning that Executive Order into Federal Law by updating the Public Health Service Act [42 USC 201] and adding funding ($20 billion) in order to implement the next step, which would be the actual technology and staffing of the offices that would handle the coordination of the data and to implement strict security measures to limit access to authorized medical providers only. They will have one year, when they must report on their progress to the Senate and the House, including security measures, and evaluation of benefits and costs to completely implement the “[t]he utilization of an electronic health record for each person in the United States by 2014.” [Subtitle A, Section 3001(c)(3)(A)(ii)].

And then, there’s the “Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Tsunami Relief, 2005”, also known as the Real ID Act of 2005. This requires State DMVs to verify an individual’s information for a Driver’s License or a State ID. All states would have to comply with the regulations of this statute, or their IDs will not be accepted at any Federal office. By Sep 11, 2005, all States are supposed to be plugged into this system, known as Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, as provided for by section 404 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 [49 USC 30301 (c)(3)(C)], which goes even further back to the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 which started the process centered around Form I9, the Employment Eligibility Verification Form.

So, all this points toward one thing: a National Database, with personal and private information all included. Now, health information is to be added. Income information is already there, for child support collection and “alien-proofing” the workforce. It’s only a step away to add credit reports, which are now private firms, but whose accuracy and efficiency is in question. Step by step, the database grows. Step by step, our reliance upon an unreliable technology becomes a part of daily life. How long, really, until we have a system somewhat like on Minority Report, where as soon as you walk in a building, you are already tagged? Everywhere you move, everywhere you shop, everywhere you read, everywhere you try to hide – all noted, recorded, and filed.

Back to the bill at hand: Ms. McCaughey states “…the bill treats health care … as a cost problem instead of a growth industry.” Those who filed for bankruptcy and those who are struggling to file for bankruptcy after the 2005 “reforms” in order to get free from crushing and bloated medical debt would beg to differ with you, Ms. McCaughey. It is *precisely* a cost problem. HMOs are not the problem, nor are they the solution. Mandatory health insurance is not the solution. The entire industry is corrupt to the bone, and cares more for self-enrichment than service to the injured and ill. The solution is a top-down shaking and re-configuring of the entire system. And that won’t happen, so now the solution is to have us all numbered, tagged, and filed. Nice. It’s sad that this had to be snuck in the back door, out of sight from an open vote. It just goes to show that the government no longer cares about the will of the people. And the fact that this was slid into a bill of such immense importance and sweeping ramifications, and thus more difficult to overturn, makes it particularly sinister, and says a lot about President Obama’s real motivations. And that, my friends, is more of the same old, same old. The joke is on us, the American people, yet again.

In chess, when you can’t get to a main piece, you attack the minor pieces one by one, thus opening up your options for attack. On Feb 14, 2001, in her 1st address on the Senate floor as Senator, while addressing the health care plan, Hillary Clinton stated “I learned … the wisdom of taking small steps to get a big job done.” Indeed.

Hopefully, this system will ensure timely and efficient medical care and a record of allergies and sensitivities, which will cut down on wasteful spending. Hopefully, it will not be used as an excuse to deny service to the suffering, especially the elderly and genetically challenged. But I would be aware, I would keep my eyes open, to ensure the safety and integrity of such a massive database. And let it not be used as a further tool of control of our most basic of needs – for that of our body to function in such a way that we can have quality of life. It is our Right.