Trump administration's digital health tracking system gives tech giants access to medical records

[midian182]

Forward-looking: The Trump administration wants the US public to upload personal health data and medical records to a series of apps and systems managed by private health companies and tech giants. The move is supposed to allow easier access to health records across the nation, bringing personal healthcare into the digital age, but there are plenty of concerns about the security of the data and the possibility that it could be exploited.

During an event announcing the initiative yesterday, President Trump said, "For decades, America's health care networks have been overdue for a high-tech upgrade and that's what we are doing."

More than 60 tech companies have pledged their support to the digital health ecosystem, including Amazon, Anthropic, Apple, Google, and OpenAI. Health care firms such as UnitedHealth Group and CVS Health will also be sharing patient data in the new system.

According to the US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which will be in charge of maintaining the system, its two main areas are to enable the sharing of information between patients and providers easily and seamlessly, and increase the availability of personalized tools so that patients have the information and resources they need to make better health decisions.

The primary focus of the apps will be diabetes and obesity management; the use of conversational AI assistants to help patients check symptoms, navigate care options, and schedule appointments, among other tasks; and introducing digital methods such as QR codes and apps for patient check-ins and medication tracking.

"The existing systems are often slow, costly and incompatible with one another, but with today's announcement, we take a major step to bring health care into the digital age," Trump said.

CMS officials said that Americans will have to opt-in to the program for their medical data to be shared, and that it will be kept secure. It added that they will be able to call up their own records without the previous difficulties, such as the use of fax machines to share documents.

The prospect of people's personal health data being freely shared by tech firms has raised plenty of privacy concerns. Experts warn that many of the companies aren't covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, which prevents personal health information from being shared by certain entities without a patient's consent.

There are also questions over the use of AI assistants – which remain prone to hallucinations and mistakes – for tasks such as symptom checking.

It's also unclear whether the government will be able to access patient data and how it may use the information.

The system is expected to launch next year. Weight loss and fitness subscription service Noom, one of the companies that is part of the initiative, will be able to access users' medical records from the system. CEO Geoff Cook told the Associated Press that this might include labs or medical tests that the app could use to develop an AI-driven analysis of what might help users lose weight.

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Trump administration's digital health tracking system gives tech giants access to medical records

 

[OortCloud]

More than 60 tech companies have pledged their support to the digital health ecosystem, including Amazon, Anthropic, Apple, Google, and Open AI. Health care firms such as UnitedHealth Group and CVS Health will also be sharing patient data in the new system.

Will there be any point when Americans say enough is enough? Giving your personal health data to Google, Apple, Open AI and Amazon? This has nothing to do with your health care and everything to do with scraping yet more personal and deeply private information from people and monetizing them as hard as you can. The only thing there can be no doubt about in this is that Donald Trump will have lined his personal coffers a little deeper when agreeing to it.

 

[yRaz]

Will there be any point when Americans say enough is enough?

Probably not, the rest of the world is just as lethargic as we are. There are plenty of similar things going on all over the world right now. The EU is having problems, the ongoing issues in south America and Asia is always a mess.

The issue is hardly unique to the US or even caused by Trump, but he is allowing it to happen faster than other countries. Fact of the matter is the world is entering a period of mass surveillance and data collection that's hardly unique to the US.

 

[DukeJukem]

"CMS officials said that Americans will have to opt-in to the program for their medical data to be shared, and that it will be kept secure."

All of you people who are concerned about privacy and mass surveilance need to shut up and learn to read the article.

 

[Phylop]

"CMS officials said that Americans will have to opt-in to the program for their medical data to be shared, and that it will be kept secure."

All of you people who are concerned about privacy and mass surveilance need to shut up and learn to read the article.

They will bury the opt-in/out deep within an excessively long EULA that few people actually read, using legal language so complex it would require a lawyer to fully interpret.

In practice, this means people will end up agreeing, whether unknowingly or simply because deceptive marketing, convenience, and a lack of viable alternatives leave them with little real choice. It is the same dynamic that has normalized so many other widespread privacy intrusions.

 

[Str8Shot]

The only thing there can be no doubt about in this is that Donald Trump will have lined his personal coffers a little deeper when agreeing to it.

I agree with your premise, but it’s not a political construct. It has nothing to do with Trump -he’s just being a good lackey for his handlers, the Kosherats.

The king of this era is data, specifically YOUR data: what you do, where you do it, how long you do it, how often you do it, etc. There are multiple agendas associated here: 1) the usurpation of your privacy and data for THEIR benefit and control, 2) AI learning (for future control, decision making, “digital twin” etc), 3) Carbon Footprint Tracker…

On day one of his Presidency, Trump announced $500B investments into mRNA and cancer, suggesting customized cancer vaccines using mRNA will be created thanks to the partnerships and investments from 3 companies and their CEOs he presented at the time: Larry Ellison (Oracle), Sam Altman (OpenAI), and SoftBank (don’t remember the name). He’s offered the world cancer vaccines from TECH and Bankers, not the most brilliant doctors and scientists of the world, rather TECH GUYS. The con was on since the start.

By the way, Oracle, in the early 2010s bought out the largest Electronic Medical Records company in the US. You have to wonder right, why would systems company want access to your EMR, unless there were greater agendas at stake.

Everything in life is an offer: do not take anything that’s being offered. It’s all designed for modern day slavery. Live with the inconvenience of not having everything centralized and in one place. Opt-out, especially tech/convenience promos.

 

[Str8Shot]

"CMS officials said that Americans will have to opt-in to the program for their medical data to be shared, and that it will be kept secure."

All of you people who are concerned about privacy and mass surveilance need to shut up and learn to read the article.

@Phylop is correct. They’ll bury the opt-out in their programming behind clause after clause. Remember how the Facebook privacy settings changed vs. what used to be 15 years ago? Now you’re an open book unless you navigate their maze of settings to toggle every privacy switch to YOUR advantage, and most “don’t have the time for it.”

 

[Neatfeatguy]

Any here that already thinks their data isn't out there, you're a damn fool. Whether you "give" permission for it to be shared or not, it doesn't matter - it's already out there and there is nothing you can do about it.

 

[dangh]

I just hear here all the champagne bottles being opened in health insurance companies across US...

you will get an insurance only if you're perfectly healthy. Make rich people/corporations richer be expense of average slaves was always a motto there.

 

[yRaz]

I just hear here all the champagne bottles being opened in health insurance companies across US...

you will get an insurance only if you're perfectly healthy. Make rich people/corporations richer be expense of average slaves was always a motto there.

I understand why people think this way, but if healthy people lose their insurance as soon as they get sick then there is no point in buying health insurance. Health insurance gets paid out by the size of the pool. They will go out of business long before they can drop everyone for being sick.

 

[Haaky]

America is in a sorry state.
How the great has fallen
You can thank TACO and his band of Nazi Cultist for that

 

[DukeJukem]

They will bury the opt-in deep within an excessively long EULA that few people actually read, using legal language so complex it would require a lawyer to fully interpret.

In practice, this means people will end up agreeing, whether unknowingly or simply because deceptive marketing, convenience, and a lack of viable alternatives leave them with little real choice. It is the same dynamic that has normalized so many other widespread privacy intrusions.

you mean a EULA burried within an app that nobody is lawfully obligated to put on their device?

what do you NEED a healthcare app for? someone tell me. I have doctors, no healthcare app. I know I'm sick and I'll always be sick and I know how to call and schedule/confirm appointments.

what's the app NEEDED for?

the problem really isn't things like this it's the gullible people that agree to participate, thus spreading the infection. people simply need to educate themselves or get taken advantage of. the world has always been like this.

"that animal looks safe to pet." it's an alligator. - goes to pet alligator and gets eaten in front of the tribe. the rest of the tribe is now educated and knows not to pet alligators.

we've seen this exact opportunity play out many times with eulas etc and people keep petting the alligator even though they know it's a stupid decision. let them keep petting and ruining it for everyone else that continues to walk past the alligator instead of petting it.

nobody needs a healthcare app

 

[dirtyferret]

The most corrupt president in modern times by every independent watch agency and a bunch of tech billionaires overlooking our medical history? What can go wrong?

https://www.citizensforethics.org/r...trips-more-foreign-visitors-and-more-profits/

 

[dangh]

I understand why people think this way, but if healthy people lose their insurance as soon as they get sick then there is no point in buying health insurance. Health insurance gets paid out by the size of the pool. They will go out of business long before they can drop everyone for being sick.

that's not the point. People who will have some health checks or too many gp visits will get much higher quotes. people with some chronic diseases will get some crazy quotes or wont get insurance at all. Cancer patients? they will get a rope in the best case.

The point is, everything is money making in US. Therefore prisons are doing their best to ensure people there wont be resocialised, and insurance companies will make sure to not get any unnecessary risk - not only to ensure they are afloat, but to ensure they getting huge return. Imo that shouldn't be case for those services, but in income driven society even essential services to survive are made not for people but for shareholders. This is great for young and healthy without kids, but it is madness for society at general.

 

[Phylop]

you mean a EULA burried within an app that nobody is lawfully obligated to put on their device?

what do you NEED a healthcare app for? someone tell me. I have doctors, no healthcare app. I know I'm sick and I'll always be sick and I know how to call and schedule/confirm appointments.

what's the app NEEDED for?

the problem really isn't things like this it's the gullible people that agree to participate, thus spreading the infection. people simply need to educate themselves or get taken advantage of. the world has always been like this.

"that animal looks safe to pet." it's an alligator. - goes to pet alligator and gets eaten in front of the tribe. the rest of the tribe is now educated and knows not to pet alligators.

we've seen this exact opportunity play out many times with eulas etc and people keep petting the alligator even though they know it's a stupid decision. let them keep petting and ruining it for everyone else that continues to walk past the alligator instead of petting it.

nobody needs a healthcare app

I get what you’re saying. Personal responsibility does matter, and people do need to educate themselves. And honestly, you’re probably right that we got into this situation largely because enough gullible people agreed to things without thinking through the consequences. But that is only part of the problem. When every practical option for functioning in society comes with strings attached, it stops being about “gullible people petting the alligator” and becomes a structural issue.

Take your healthcare app example. You might not need it, but a lot of people are pushed toward these apps because their providers make scheduling, results, and even communication far more convenient through them while making traditional options massively inconvenient. Try calling your doctor’s office, and you might sit on hold for ages because they no longer staff enough people to answer phones. Or you may find that the only way to pay your bill is through the healthcare app or some third party app.

It is the same dynamic we see with owning a car. Technically, you are not legally obligated to own one, but in reality you need one to hold many jobs and to function in society. Once you do own one, you are required to agree to a long list of terms, and with modern cars, that increasingly means agreeing to be tracked.

The real concern is not just that some people make poor choices, but that the more these practices are normalized, the less of a choice anyone truly has. And if gullible participation helped get us here, that is all the more reason meaningful reform is needed to get us out of it.

 

[wiyosaya]

Will there be any point when Americans say enough is enough? Giving your personal health data to Google, Apple, Open AI and Amazon? This has nothing to do with your health care and everything to do with scraping yet more personal and deeply private information from people and monetizing them as hard as you can. The only thing there can be no doubt about in this is that Donald Trump will have lined his personal coffers a little deeper when agreeing to it.

The mid-terms are an opportunity to do so. The big question is whether enough Americans will vote in such a way as to say it in a convincing manner.

 

[wiyosaya]

America is in a sorry state.
How the great has fallen
You can thank TACO and his band of Nazi Cultist for that

IMO, while there are many Americans that have no f'ing clue this has happened and keep yelling more, more, more, there are many Americans that realize it has happened and do care.

But, you're free to keep acting like NO Americans GAS.

 

[yRaz]

IMO, while there are many Americans that have no f'ing clue this has happened and keep yelling more, more, more, there are many Americans that realize it has happened and do care.

But, you're free to keep acting like NO Americans GAS.

I like how the US is distraction by everyone from having their rights taken away I'm their own countries. The globalists love that Trump is distracting the world right now.

 

[Joey Rakas]

Anyone who finds this acceptable on any level is simply a fool. Mind boggling that people still think the U.N. has their best interest. Look how many people globally, gave up their bodies to scientific experimentation during Covid and post Covid. It was a global sinister overreach that even the tech gaints played a large part in. Regarding the topic of this article, if this in fact does follow through, it will be even more crimes against humanity. It will be abused for certain fact. Not that that giant data breaches haven't already allowed private medical and personal data to be exposed to people with ill intent.

Then there is the flip-side perspective. Cupcakes and rainbows. The governments of the world have your best interests. Things are getting better for humanity on a grand scale. Ai will save humanity. Pharmaceutical companies will save your life and we need them. Fact checkers are fact.

 

[axiomatic13]

I think everyone is being naive here? This will be used to identify those with pre-existing conditions, so your insurance will be denied. As a diabetic, I am sick of being the cash piñata. I personally have divested myself of all Healthcare related stocks. I refuse to invest in those making it hard for me to get care. I reject "Deny, Defend, Depose."

 

[maxxcool7421]

Trump raping you yet again.. just like he did to E. Jean Carroll

 

[Northy]

1268 days till someone else takes the top job. Hopefully everyone can pull their heads out of their asses and vote for actual change... or it will just be more of the same.

 

[Mortyric]

In case anyone needed a reminder, Amazon, Anthropic, Apple, Google, and OpenAI only view you as a data source and your health data will be the biggest cash cow yet

This policy does 0% to improve the level of healthcare you receive. Easy access to health records has always existed and there are a lot of other bottlenecks that slow down how quickly you are attended to.

If all of the data sharks are lining up to know everything about my health, my first instinct will be to say NO, if I truly had that choice.

 

[DdubbleR]

What could go wrong? Now lets let everyone have access to gun ownership data. That would set the right wing nut jobs brains on fire

 

[bandit8623]

What could go wrong? Now lets let everyone have access to gun ownership data. That would set the right wing nut jobs brains on fire

I mean that's what gun owners stand for no national registry... Not sure your point here. It's not like this health thing puts u on a giant registry open to anyone seeing.. kinda different.