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TMFBro (< 20)

Who knows you bought Viagra?

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August 10, 2009 – Comments (6) | RELATED TICKERS: PFE , MRK , WYE.DL

Did you think that the pills you took were just between you and that stranger in a white coat? (OK, and maybe your insurance company, which has thousands of employees who can access your records.)

Well, according to the New York Times, your pharmaceutical proclivities are being bought and sold:

"[P]rescriptions, and all the information on them — including not only the name and dosage of the drug and the name and address of the doctor, but also the patient’s address and Social Security number — are a commodity bought and sold in a murky marketplace, often without the patients’ knowledge or permission."

Even though I personally have nothing to hide (spend three hours with me and I'll prove it to you), I find this very disturbing.

 

Robert Brokamp is the senior advisor for The Motley Fool’s Rule Your Retirement service.

6 Comments – Post Your Own

#1) On August 10, 2009 at 3:43 PM, anticitrade (99.58) wrote:

I am trying to imagine what you have planned for those 3 hours that will so conclusively prove that you have nothing to hide....  It sounds menacing, like a spooky ride at a cheap carnival.

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#2) On August 10, 2009 at 4:57 PM, devoish (98.71) wrote:

Don't forget the viagra prescription when you fill out medical records for your insurance policy...

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#3) On August 10, 2009 at 5:03 PM, CoastalTrader (94.12) wrote:

The wife has figured it out when, out of the blue (pun intended), I have super human powers.   Muhahahahaha.

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#4) On August 10, 2009 at 5:10 PM, FleaBagger (32.74) wrote:

devoish - Good point. As we all know, government is the perfect guardian of our privacy.

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#5) On August 11, 2009 at 3:15 AM, vtBrunson (58.70) wrote:

I'm not sure I'd put too much weight in the NYT article... I worked in the healthcare industry and I would tell the family who had this happen to them they should sue under HIPAA. 

I'm not saying this type of thing doesnt happen (I mean people steal credit card information as well) but I don't think it's as prevalent as the article alludes to.

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#6) On November 27, 2009 at 6:02 AM, marlena21 (< 20) wrote:

"Don't forget the viagra prescription when you fill out medical records for your insurance policy..." but if I'll buy it online i don't need it right?

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