March 28, 2011 – Testimony from the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) released on March 16 found that:
- Pervasive and sustained cyber attacks “pose a potentially devastating impact on federal and
- nonfederal systems and operations.”
- Threats to critical federal infrastructure are “evolving and growing”.
- Over the past 5 years, the number of security incidents experienced by federal agencies has increased 650%.
- The Administration and Executive Branch have not yet fully implemented measures to address the threats.
- Most of the 24 federal agencies had security weaknesses in five key control categories and serious and widespread information security control weaknesses were a government-wide material weakness.
Read the full report.
September 10, 2010 – HIPAA HITECH APsaA comments
October 23, 2009 - APsaA comments on Breach Notification for Unsecured Published Information regarding the HITECH Act.
Click here to read the letter.
July 31, 2009 - APsaA signs letter to Senators Henry Waxman and Joe Barton asking them to make sure that a patient's right to pay privately for health care services remains intact in the America's Afforable Health Choices Act.
Click here to read the letter.
July 28, 2009 - APsaA signs letter by the National Council on Problem Gambling in support of H.R. 2906, the Comprehensive Problem Gambling Act.
Click here to read the letter.
December 15, 2008 – Does the HIPAA Privacy Rule permit health care providers to use e-mail to discuss health issues and treatment with their patients?
November 19, 2008 - A letter prepared by APsaA's legislative counsel James C. Pyles on the protection of electronif healthcare information states that the privacy arguments and analyses APsaA has been developing are having an effect.
Click here to read the letter.
October 29, 2007 - APsaA supports Mental Health Liaison Group letter to Senator Harking and Representative Obey which strongly urges them to reconcile a conference report of the FY 2008 Labor-HHSEducation Appropriations bill (HR 3043) that includes the higher Senate-passed funding levels for mental health services, supports and research.
Click here to read the letter.
July, 18 2007 - On July 18, the House Education and Labor Committee voted 33 to 9 in support of H.R. 1424, The Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2007. The bill, introduced by Congressmen Patrick J. Kennedy (D-RI) and Jim Ramstad (R-MN), has bipartisan support of the majority of House Members with 268 cosponsors.
Click here for more information.
July 17, 2007 - APsaA signs Mental Health Liaison Group letter to Senate Majority Leader Read and Senate Minority Leader McConell expressing concern about the need for privacy and security of individual health records as the development of a national interoperable health information technology (HIT) infrastructure moves forward.
Click here to read the letter.
June 22, 2007 - In a letter to Chairman Kennedy and Senator Enzi of the Senate Health, Education,Labor & Pensions Committee, APsaA expresses concerns about the lack of protection of patient's right to health information privacy in the Wired for Health Care Information Act.
Click here to read the letter.
June 2007 - APsaA opposes the Wired for Health Care Quality Act and provides talking points in an effort to prevent the bill from passing.
Click here for more information.
November, 2007 - APsaA's comments on Enhanced Protections for Uses of Health Data: a Stewardship Framework for "Secondary Uses" of Electronically Collected and Transmitted Health Data.
Click here to read the document.
March 2007 - APsaA weighs in on the data security breach at WellPoint, one of the nation's largest health insurers.
Click here for more information.
February 14, 2007 - APsaA, along with 96 other organizations, supports the Mental Health Parity Act of 2007.
Click here for more information.
Earlier efforts
Click here for a summary of APsaA's 2006 legislative achievements. |