At least 29 million health records breached by overt criminal activity

Between 2010 and 2013, data breaches of protected health information reported by HIPAA-covered entities increased and involved approximately 29 million records, with most data breaches resulting from overt criminal activity, according to a study in the April 14 issue of JAMA. Reports of data breaches have increased during the past decade. Compared with other industries, these breaches are estimated to be …

Consumers getting ‘skinned’ by health insurers

The reason health care costs are so high is because Americans don’t have nearly enough “skin in the game.” That was the phrase that many of my former colleagues in the insurance industry and I began using in the early 2000s as a way to deflect attention away from us. Americans — especially American employers — looked to private insurers …