California Privacy Laws Should Apply Broadly to State Residents’ Medical Information, Senator Writes

California residents' medical information "is too important to treat so casually," Sen. Liz Figueroa (D-Fremont) writes in a San Francisco Chronicle opinion piece, citing an incident last year in which a medical transcriptionist based abroad threatened to disclose records of University of California-San Francisco Medical Center patients if she did not receive additional payment. Figueroa writes that legislation (SB 1451) she has introduced would require subcontractors with access to private information "treat it with the same care they would if they were doing work here in California" or face the possibility of standing trial in California courts. As it becomes more difficult to "keep up with the fast pace of business and technology," consumers should be concerned about some of the changes, Figueroa writes, adding, "But one thing should not change, at least for Californians: the expectation that their private information is sacrosanct" (Figueroa, San Francisco Chronicle, 6/4).