Hawaii Senator Fears HIPAA Protections Won't Last Under Trump
Hawaii may need to protect privacy of genetic information due to uncertainty about what will happen in the Trump administration, a state senator signaled at a Hawaii Senate Commerce Committee hearing Tuesday.
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The committee heard testimony on SB-318, which would require the state commerce department to make privacy rules for direct-to-consumer genetic testing. A witness for the department’s Office of Consumer Protection opposed the bill because he said the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act provides protections sought by the bill.
However, committee member Angus McKelvey (D) appeared worried that wouldn’t always be true, considering " how everything is going pretty much haywire at the federal level.”
“If the pendulum swings the other way, then there wouldn't be any protections,” said McKelvey. “Maybe it would be good to keep this bill moving, just because of that."