Consent and confidentiality are some of the most important pillars of behavioral health, and they must be upheld with the enforcement of comprehensive federal and state policies. Mental health and substance use records can often contain sensitive and potentially stigmatizing information, and the MHLG supports laws and programs that protect patient confidentiality rights, Health IT privacy, and consent requirements.
Issue statements from past Congresses appear below. For statements from the current session of Congress, view the confidentiality issue statements page.
- MHLG Supports Compassionate Communication Funding: The Mental Health Liaison Group wrote to Chairman Cole and Representative DeLauro to express strong support for full funding of the Compassionate Communication on HIPAA provisions authorized under Subtitle C, Title XI, Section 11004 of the 21st Century Cures Act (P.L. 114-255).
- MHLG Warns About Privacy Risks with Health Information Technology (HIT), 7.17.07: The Mental Health Liaison Group sent a letter sent to Senate leadership urging them to include clear guidelines on privacy and security protections, especially in the Wired for Health Care Quality Act (S. 1693).
- MHLG Expresses Concerns about Eliminating Consent, 4.26.2002. The Mental Health Liaison Group sent a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services, expressing their concern about the elimination of the existing right of consent in the Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information, 67 Federal Register 14776.
- MHLG Supports Stronger State Mental Health Records Privacy Laws, 12-17-01: The Mental Health Liaison Group sent a letter sent to the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services supporting 65 Federal Register 82462 for maintaining high standards of privacy for individually identifiable health information.
- MHLG Raises Concerns about Medical Record Confidentiality, 2-20-01: A letter from the Mental Health Liaison Group to the Chairman of the HELP Committee in support of strengthened confidentiality regulations recently issued by the Department of Health and Human Services.
- MHLG Emphasizes Need for Medical Records Privacy, 5.18.99: The Mental Health Liaison Group sent a letter to the Chairman of the HELP Committee, urging federal legislation to protect patients’ rights, highlighting the Supreme Court case Jaffee v. Redmond.
- MHLG Supports HealthCare Nondisclosure Act, 5.11.98: The Mental Health Liaison Group sent a letter to the Chairman of the Labor and Human Resources Committee supporting the introduction of the Health Care Personal Information Nondisclosure Act (S. 1921).