Protecting Personal Health Data Act
Latest action (13 Jun 2019): Introduced
What this bill does
**What the bill would do:** S. 1842 aims to strengthen privacy and security protections for personal health data collected by consumer technologies that are not covered by existing federal health privacy law (HIPAA). It would direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a "National Task Force on Health Data Protection" to study issues such as de-identification of genetic and biometric data, security standards, cybersecurity risks, and consumer education on genetic testing. The task force would report its findings within one year of enactment. Based on that report, the Secretary would then have six months to issue regulations addressing consent standards, limits on data sharing, consumers' rights to access, delete, or amend their data, and minimum security requirements.
**Who it affects:** The bill targets operators of "consumer devices, services, applications, and software" whose primary purpose involves collecting or using personal health data—examples given include direct-to-consumer genetic testing services, wearable fitness trackers, and health-related social media sites. It would not apply to products marketed to health care providers or insurers already regulated under HIPAA. Consumers who use such products would gain new protections regarding consent, data access, and deletion rights once regulations take effect.
**Status and next steps:** The bill was introduced in the Senate on June 13, 2019, by Sen. Amy Klobuchar with Sen. Lisa Murkowski, and referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. It did not receive a vote in the 116th Congress and would need to be reintroduced to be considered further.
Plain-English summary generated by Bill100 AI from the official record. Always verify against the source below.
Official summary
Protecting Personal Health Data Act
This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services to regulate consumer devices, services, applications, and software that (1) are primarily designed for or marketed to consumers; (2) primarily collect or use personal health data; and (3) are not primarily designed for use by entities such as health care plans, providers, or clearinghouses.
The bill also establishes a national task force on health data protection.
Common questions
- What does S. 1842 do?
- **What the bill would do:** S. 1842 aims to strengthen privacy and security protections for personal health data collected by consumer technologies that are not covered by existing federal health privacy law (HIPAA). It would direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a "National Task Force on Health Data Protection" to study issues such as de-identification of genetic and biometric data, security standards, cybersecurity risks, and consumer education on genetic testing. The task force would report its findings within one year of enactment. Based on that report, the Secretary would then have six months to issue regulations addressing consent standards, limits on data sharing, consumers' rights to access, delete, or amend their data, and minimum security requirements. **Who it affects:** The bill targets operators of "consumer devices, services, applications, and software" whose primary purpose involves collecting or using personal health data—examples given include direct-to-consumer genetic testing services, wearable fitness trackers, and health-related social media sites. It would not apply to products marketed to health care providers or insurers already regulated under HIPAA. Consumers who use such products would gain new protections regarding consent, data access, and deletion rights once regulations take effect. **Status and next steps:** The bill was introduced in the Senate on June 13, 2019, by Sen. Amy Klobuchar with Sen. Lisa Murkowski, and referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. It did not receive a vote in the 116th Congress and would need to be reintroduced to be considered further.
- Has S. 1842 become law?
- Not yet. As of 13 Jun 2019, S. 1842 is introduced.
- Who sponsored S. 1842?
- S. 1842 was sponsored by Sen. Amy Klobuchar [D-MN] (Democrat-MN), with 1 cosponsor.
- What's the latest action on S. 1842?
- Introduced (13 Jun 2019).
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