194 Comments
User's avatar
Sara Klein's avatar

I hope they sue RFK for this. This is an extreme violation of privacy.

Expand full comment
Tina Phipps's avatar

Yes wouldnt this fall under a HIPPA Violation.

Expand full comment
J. Arevir's avatar

Yes, both HIPAA and ADA.

Expand full comment
Stephanie Bisignano-Bunce's avatar

With government funded healthcare, such as medicaid, medicare, and those with insurance through the affordable care act there are clauses that the government can ask for our information.

Expand full comment
Dawn Hesalroad's avatar

I believe the operative word here is *ask*. Under normal conditions, epidemiological data given to researchers does not contain personal identifiers such as name, address, phone number, social security number. In many cases, the city of residence is not disclosed, just the county and state. Of course, we are no longer under normal situations of any sort with this administration. The kind of data RFKjr wants would be a herculean task for already overburdened/understaffed city/state health departments.

Expand full comment
Stephanie Bisignano-Bunce's avatar

It is not asking us, it is asking our insurance companies though. That is the key difference.

Expand full comment
Dawn Hesalroad's avatar

All health insurance companies, including Medicare and Medicaid are considered covered entities and must abide by HIPPA laws. They are rigorous with regard to Protected HeaIth Information (lawsuits). If they choose to comply with RFKjr's ask for autism data, they may be even more restrictive on the info they provide. In any case, he won't be able to get the data he needs in order to “prove causation” (his promise to America).

Expand full comment
Elle Noneofyo's avatar

THIS

Expand full comment
Jean Dean's avatar

I thought so also but the fact he's using it for "research" may be the loophole.

Expand full comment
Li (PinkPortrait)'s avatar

I believe the answer to that is yes. but with the smartwatches what do they mean? Have they already conpitulated? Every single company?? We have generally samsung, iPhone, and fit bit. They would have to request that info.

Aaron is a lawyer and I'm sure lawyers like pisco will cover it. That being said this is NOT GOOD. 😐

Expand full comment
Leslie Royce's avatar

Yes, BUT if you look at Roe v. Wade, the case wasn't about the right to abortion, it was actually a case about the right to privacy. With the overturning of Roe v. Wade we lost the right to privacy, meaning that HIPPA laws still exist but no longer carry the weight they once did.

Expand full comment
Maria K.'s avatar

It is a gross HIPAA violation. If any of us working on the billing and patient record side of healthcare did any such crap, we would be fired and our employers - sued and fined.

Expand full comment
Belia Koelewijn's avatar

exactly,if you work in healthcare privacy about a patient is number one,so i would say F.O. RfK

Expand full comment
Retha Mckenna🥀's avatar

It’s a HIPAA violation! Your exactly right.

Expand full comment
Melissa's avatar

HIPAA!

Expand full comment
Disguy Ovahea's avatar

I hope I like the number on my tattoo.

Expand full comment
WmnOfDistxn's avatar

I have what might be a dumb question, but smart watches and fitness trackers?! What on earth related to “Autism Research” could be on those things? How is that being justified? (Not that any of it is justifiable or ethically correct, but those seem so random.) Am I missing something?

Expand full comment
Spence's avatar

IMO…. He wants to use it to track location. Not sure how he’ll spin it to make it seem “legit”, but that’s the real reason. Tracking autistic folks.

Expand full comment
Dawn Hesalroad's avatar

Believe me, RFKjr will manipulate and massage any data he might receive in order to bolster whatever crackpot claim he wants to make about autism etiology. Also, since he has laid off so many staffers in his department, who will he give the monumental task of collecting the data? I speak from experience when I tell you that there isn’t a city/county/regional health department in Texas with the money, manpower (or will) to do the work.

Expand full comment
Zoe's avatar

Roe V Wade was the foundation for HIPAA 🙃

Expand full comment
Terri's avatar

HIPPA violation!!

Expand full comment
Jackie Robare Fiese's avatar

HIPPA Laws exist!

Expand full comment
Erica's avatar

Everyone a country does something to stand up to Trump and puts him in his place, I just want to fly their flag. Thank GOD for Canada, China, Greenland and anyone else who stands up to this infected toe of a human because we all known our own government won’t.

Expand full comment
Jess's avatar

Idk if flying China's flag is really the own you're making it out to be considering China wants Trump to mess up our country and do exactly what he's doing to us just as much as Russia wants it. There is already evidence of China having more cultural and fiscal impact on the world since Trump took office. This isn't a coincidence. (And I'm not against China having cultural influence, but Xi absolutely wants Trump to tank our country like he is doing.) At best, this is us floundering as a nation after electing our first black president bc our country is still full of racists who were angered and sought vengeance after Obama's successful presidency. At worst, Russia and China have colluded to bring us down. These days, I'm leaning toward the latter.

Canada and Greenland flags are great to wave rn tho lol!!

Expand full comment
Erica's avatar

Well that’s fair. I swear I wasn’t thinking along those lines, I just get sickly satisfied when some bullies Trump back

Expand full comment
Jess's avatar

I also love to see the orange be bullied!!!

Expand full comment
Erica's avatar

The bully of my bully is my….friend?😅

Expand full comment
Sharon's avatar

China has never been what I would call a “friend” but I can’t help but see that trump is being a real ass to them.

Expand full comment
Sandra Lee's avatar

I would not like to thank China. Cant trust them either

Expand full comment
RC's avatar

Too little, too late on the tariff front. That moron has already hurt millions of Americans, to the tune of Billions of dollars, because he doesn’t understand how fucking tariffs work 🤦‍♂️

Expand full comment
Paula Wright's avatar

I think he understands and just doesn’t care. Then he purposely shares misinformation about it to mislead his base.

Expand full comment
RC's avatar

You’re giving the orange-faced shitgibbon too much credit.

Expand full comment
Lesa's avatar

He understands perfectly well- he intended to inflict pain

Expand full comment
Gail A Rothman Marshall's avatar

Unfortunately, rich people know how to game the system whether stocks go up or down. Somehow, they always make out just fine, while the rest of us suffer the economic effects of the government's erratic economic behavior.

Expand full comment
David Shull's avatar

I didn't authorize HHS (RFK Jr.) to access my health information. Where do I to to lodge a complaint?

Expand full comment
Kris Neilson's avatar

Thanks for all you do, Aaron!

Expand full comment
Shelly Sopher's avatar

The FDA needs to keep regulating dairy products

Very dangerous not to

Expand full comment
Marie's avatar

Yes, H5N1 isn't going anywhere.

Expand full comment
Julie Collins's avatar

Musk can step away as quick as he wants, but the boycott won't stop. His demolition of democracy contributed to people's dislike, but in reality, no one will forget his nazi salutes, doubling down on them with Twitter jokes, and interference with German politics.

Govt position or not, people don't want to drive a swasti-car (or truck).

If Tesla board wants to change sales trends, they need to ditch the Nazi CEO.

Expand full comment
ZU's avatar

Agree! Musk to El Salvador for the evil and damage he made! Trump too.

Expand full comment
Rymes1's avatar

Let's hope it won't be out of sight out of mind and the boycott will continue.

Expand full comment
Julie Collins's avatar

Agreed!

Expand full comment
Terry's avatar

If musk leaves end of May as planned, he can't come back 1 day a month. He's only allowed 130 days. End of May IS his 130 days. That's it, end of his time. Bye 👋 musk. Go finish ruining Tesla.

Expand full comment
Karen Z's avatar

Agreed! Tesla as a brand is forever tarnished.

Expand full comment
Belia Koelewijn's avatar

I would never buy a block of plastic on weels because of Doge and the muskus RATTTT

Expand full comment
Jennifer Boehme's avatar

Elon can go back but it won’t change anything. The damage he’s done to the American people is unforgivable! Let’s continue to tank Tesla!!

Expand full comment
Steph's avatar

Is Trump just insider trading again...?

RFK needs to be removed before he gets more people killed.

Thank you Aaron

Expand full comment
Rymes1's avatar

Whatever happened about MTG inside trading?

Expand full comment
Joyce Reardon's avatar

Thank you Aaron. This invasion of privacy is a slippery slope. What is the need for a registry of autistic people for?? I’m frightened. When does it end?

Expand full comment
Steph's avatar

I agree. It has a creepy vibe and RFK is so ignorant and easily manipulated he might actually believe he is trying to help. But puppets don't pull the strings.

Expand full comment
Dotty Doyle's avatar

How was the party?? Hope you had a great night, thanks for all you do!

Expand full comment
Katie Tankersley's avatar

Hope you had a wonderful unsurprising surprise party!

Expand full comment
Taya's avatar

China is right. Bc of this administration we are isolated from the world 😭😭

Expand full comment
Vicki Schoenfeld's avatar

Can we all just agree that this administration has no real plan, hence the back and forth on tariffs. I don’t believe they know they work for the people!

Expand full comment
Carmen Andrews's avatar

They don’t care. Look for any rich people who made a killing today….

Expand full comment
Sal Teodoro's avatar

Hope you had a great time last night.

Tesla is toast. What he did to our government, well, you can think of it as his bank account.

Damn right that there will be lawsuits flying with RFK snooping through peoples data. It’s definitely a HIPPA violation. I think there’s more worm than brain left. Autism isn’t a disease or virus and it definitely isn’t from vaccines. I was born in 70 and had all my vaccines and growing up, I definitely would have heard of lawsuits because of vaccines causing any kind of adverse reaction. He’s an utterly complete fkn moron.

And Vance better get his kneepads out because the only way China will come to the table is for that dumb fk to apologize for calling Chinese workers, peasants.

Expand full comment
TRANSFOREVER's avatar

Xi achieved this by doing virtually nothing. fascism can only succeed when there are people willing to comply in advance.

Expand full comment