Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think this should start at 18. I couldn't do any medical things in college because my parents would snoop through my medical records. I even had to go to planned parenthood for birth control. Now that kids are on their plans until 26 this is exacerbated.

This seems like an exaggeration. You couldn't get a case of strep throat treated? You couldn't go in for a flu shot? Do't you truly just mean that you didn't want them to know that you were sexually active?

Yes I could get strep throat treated, but they would know. Insurance mailed them a summary. I mean I couldn't get my depression treated nor could I get birth control bills. I remember my mom (a doctor) going through my blood work results to see if I had STDs.

Hell I got married at 25 and I wouldn't have wanted my parents knowing my medical info then either. Kids are on their parents insurance until 26.

No they aren't. They have the OPTION to be- which is great. But if you are still on your parent's insurance at 25 you have very bad luck and or a very low paying job that you still are priced out of the (hopefully getting better) personal insurance marketplace. "Kids" are not in their early 20s. I know its shocking to think this in DCUM land but at 25, its well into adulthood and many are even getting married and starting to think about having kids.

If you are on the parents plans in your 20s, well that's on you to stop being dependent on them, and set boundaries that are healthy. This scenario is totally different from a 13 year old.

That said, I think the procedures for streamlining minor consent for parents to access records via HIPPA is a great idea- blanket waiver that you can take to any provider for example.

+1 it is a choice (for now) to be on a parent's insurance when you're a young adult (+18).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm missing something here. Could your underage child also opt for any kind of procedure they wanted using your insurance without your knowledge. Setting aside hot button issues like abortion, could your child opt for eg, braces even though this might not be something within your budget?

The ultimate burn!

No. Because the 13 yo can not enter in a contract to pay for the braces. Maybe they can get them, but they could not be made to pay. No Orthodontist will risk not getting paid.

What about other medical treatments that may pose a risk to the kids health? I recall a kid in the news a few years back that died because of a tooth issue. Would it make a difference if a kid independently (perhaps with coaching from an adult) sought treatment for something related to that kind of situation? Can kids only enter into contracts for procedures related to sexual activities?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think this should start at 18. I couldn't do any medical things in college because my parents would snoop through my medical records. I even had to go to planned parenthood for birth control. Now that kids are on their plans until 26 this is exacerbated.

This seems like an exaggeration. You couldn't get a case of strep throat treated? You couldn't go in for a flu shot? Do't you truly just mean that you didn't want them to know that you were sexually active?

Yes I could get strep throat treated, but they would know. Insurance mailed them a summary. I mean I couldn't get my depression treated nor could I get birth control bills. I remember my mom (a doctor) going through my blood work results to see if I had STDs.

Hell I got married at 25 and I wouldn't have wanted my parents knowing my medical info then either. Kids are on their parents insurance until 26.

No they aren't. They have the OPTION to be- which is great. But if you are still on your parent's insurance at 25 you have very bad luck and or a very low paying job that you still are priced out of the (hopefully getting better) personal insurance marketplace. "Kids" are not in their early 20s. I know its shocking to think this in DCUM land but at 25, its well into adulthood and many are even getting married and starting to think about having kids.

If you are on the parents plans in your 20s, well that's on you to stop being dependent on them, and set boundaries that are healthy. This scenario is totally different from a 13 year old.

That said, I think the procedures for streamlining minor consent for parents to access records via HIPPA is a great idea- blanket waiver that you can take to any provider for example.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think this should start at 18. I couldn't do any medical things in college because my parents would snoop through my medical records. I even had to go to planned parenthood for birth control. Now that kids are on their plans until 26 this is exacerbated.

This seems like an exaggeration. You couldn't get a case of strep throat treated? You couldn't go in for a flu shot? Do't you truly just mean that you didn't want them to know that you were sexually active?

Yes I could get strep throat treated, but they would know. Insurance mailed them a summary. I mean I couldn't get my depression treated nor could I get birth control bills. I remember my mom (a doctor) going through my blood work results to see if I had STDs.

Hell I got married at 25 and I wouldn't have wanted my parents knowing my medical info then either. Kids are on their parents insurance until 26.

They are allowed to be, but they are not forced to be. If you value your privacy over the privilege of using the health insurance your parent pays for, get your own health insurance. There are plans for students and young adults that are very reasonably priced.

Most colleges offer free therapy to undergrads, at least. Mine certainly did in the 1990s and I used it because my insurance didn't cover talk therapy. Wouldn't have helped you if you needed to be medicated for your depression, but surely your mom, a physician, would have understood an imbalance in brain chemistry?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am amazed at how shortsighted so many posters on here are. these laws exist for a reason. Just because your family doesn't think it needs them doesn't mean they are bad laws.

If a 13 yr old had an abortion, that child needs an adult to supervise the recovery. There can be complications from an abortion. I think the parent or guardian would need to know so they know what the *child* needs. Let's face it, a 13 yr old is still a child.

I remember my mom had a D&C. She came home with some papers that had instructions on how to recover. My dad had to show the papers to me because of his limited English (I was a teenager at the time). You think a 13 yr old would follow the instructions and would be able to take care of herself afterwards? This is crazy.

Even some 20 year olds can't. As an RA, I called an ambulance for one of my residents passed out in the bathroom after an abortion over a long holiday weekend. If I had made my last rounds 15 minutes earlier I might have missed her and she could have lain there all night long. I shudder to think of a 13 year old secretly having an abortion and lying in her bed all night long bleeding excessively.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think this should start at 18. I couldn't do any medical things in college because my parents would snoop through my medical records. I even had to go to planned parenthood for birth control. Now that kids are on their plans until 26 this is exacerbated.

This seems like an exaggeration. You couldn't get a case of strep throat treated? You couldn't go in for a flu shot? Do't you truly just mean that you didn't want them to know that you were sexually active?

Yes I could get strep throat treated, but they would know. Insurance mailed them a summary. I mean I couldn't get my depression treated nor could I get birth control bills. I remember my mom (a doctor) going through my blood work results to see if I had STDs.

Hell I got married at 25 and I wouldn't have wanted my parents knowing my medical info then either. Kids are on their parents insurance until 26.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am amazed at how shortsighted so many posters on here are. these laws exist for a reason. Just because your family doesn't think it needs them doesn't mean they are bad laws.

Do you think parents, who pay the premiums and co-pays, have any say or have a right to access records of their minor children?

Nope because if I'm a 14 year old girl who just tested positive for syphillis and I know my step dad gave it to me and if anyone finds out who did or that I have it he will kill me or my siblings. Children die over stuff like this. Yes most are normal average people but this law is to protect the ones most at risk.

I'm a mandatory reporter. If your medical record says that your step dad gave you syphillis, your doctor is already reporting it to CPS. Try a different scenario.

Anonymous wrote:I think this should start at 18. I couldn't do any medical things in college because my parents would snoop through my medical records. I even had to go to planned parenthood for birth control. Now that kids are on their plans until 26 this is exacerbated.

This seems like an exaggeration. You couldn't get a case of strep throat treated? You couldn't go in for a flu shot? Do't you truly just mean that you didn't want them to know that you were sexually active?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am amazed at how shortsighted so many posters on here are. these laws exist for a reason. Just because your family doesn't think it needs them doesn't mean they are bad laws.

Do you think parents, who pay the premiums and co-pays, have any say or have a right to access records of their minor children?

Nope because if I'm a 14 year old girl who just tested positive for syphillis and I know my step dad gave it to me and if anyone finds out who did or that I have it he will kill me or my siblings. Children die over stuff like this. Yes most are normal average people but this law is to protect the ones most at risk.

Anonymous wrote:Good point, PP. In an emergency, how is the parent going to be able to give an accurate medical history?

You can always talk to the doctor, but they can not talk to you (without permission). I know this, because I recently had to deal with my fathers abuse of narcotics.

As for why, there are legit medical reasons for the privacy -- and since the records cover everything, they can not allow it. You can talk to the Doctors about what is going. But they kid has a right to privacy in certain areas, mostly dealing with sexuality.

The problem is you can not control when your kid has sex. But, the doctors sort of need to know that. If your kid gets an STD, you want them to get treatment -- period. If your god gets pregnant, you want proper prenatal care (assuming no abortion). Some kids will not talk to the parents about sex issues.

My GF in high school was from an extremely religiously conservative family -- no premarital sex, etc. She would have been grounded for life if her parents found out. And I may have been shot. But, guess what? it did not stop us. When my mom figured out that things might be serious (we would go for long walks in the woods...), she just left condoms in my room (I assume it was my mom).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm missing something here. Could your underage child also opt for any kind of procedure they wanted using your insurance without your knowledge. Setting aside hot button issues like abortion, could your child opt for eg, braces even though this might not be something within your budget?

The ultimate burn!

No. Because the 13 yo can not enter in a contract to pay for the braces. Maybe they can get them, but they could not be made to pay. No Orthodontist will risk not getting paid.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have an older teen with chronic health problems and absolutely loathe HIPPA.

I have to remember to have DC sign papers giving me access at every provider. I have to do the running around when we slip up and forget as DC has limited mobility. In some cases, they ask for a new consent every time new records are requested. I admit I have simply signed DC's name to some consent forms. DC wants me to be present at every appointment, coordinate everything, get medical records, deal with insurance, etc because, well, isn't it enough to be a full time student with several significant chronic illnesses?

When medical offices ask for DC's email, we always put down mine so I create the accounts.

I wonder how this works for kids with mental illness or limited cognitive ability.

This is already a horrible situation for parents of MI kids turning 18, resulting in some really tragic failure yo treat situations. It's horrifying that this could begin to happen at an even younger age!!!

Anonymous wrote:I am amazed at how shortsighted so many posters on here are. these laws exist for a reason. Just because your family doesn't think it needs them doesn't mean they are bad laws.

If a 13 yr old had an abortion, that child needs an adult to supervise the recovery. There can be complications from an abortion. I think the parent or guardian would need to know so they know what the *child* needs. Let's face it, a 13 yr old is still a child.

I remember my mom had a D&C. She came home with some papers that had instructions on how to recover. My dad had to show the papers to me because of his limited English (I was a teenager at the time). You think a 13 yr old would follow the instructions and would be able to take care of herself afterwards? This is crazy.