Help us stop H.R. 550, which would expand state and local health department vaccine-tracking systems and provide for sharing the information they collect with the federal government, to monitor the vaccination status of unwilling Americans.
Vaccine tracking systems and other public health databases are already being used to harass those who have chosen to delay or decline vaccines. They are also used for interventions including home visits and reminder/recall systems.
Indeed, the author of H.R. 550 has bragged that her bill will help the government remind patients when they are due for a recommended vaccine and identify areas with low compliance.
This bill, called the “Immunization Infrastructure Modernization Act of 2021,” would also be costly to taxpayers. It appropriates $400 million dollars to expand vaccine tracking. Part of this money would be spent on grants and cooperative agreements to state or local governmental entities that agree to adopt the new data collection guidelines set by the CDC.
H.R. 550 passed by the House on November 30th with a bipartisan vote, so it is going to be difficult to stop. We must work to educate our Senators on why this seemingly innocuous bill should not pass.
Say no to the tracking of individual’s private and personal vaccination information by making two short calls today!
TAKE ACTION
Contact both of your U.S. Senators and ask them to OPPOSE H.R. 550. You can look up who represents you at: https://www.senate.gov/
Calls are more effective than emails, and only take a few minutes.
Sample script:
“Hi, my name is ____ and I am a constituent. I am calling to ask Senator ____ to OPPOSE H.R. 550, which would unnecessarily appropriate hundreds of millions of dollars to expand vaccine tracking systems.
This bill violates the normal principles of consent for sharing an individual’s medical information. It’s bad enough that many state and local departments share our health data without our consent, but now they would be sharing our data with the federal government also.
Adults are fully capable of keeping their own vaccine records and should be given the choice whether they wish their vaccination history to be tracked by the government.
I urge Senator _____ to oppose H.R. 550.”
Talking Points:
Keep your call or email short! Pick the 2 or 3 talking points that are most important to you, and be sure to explain why this issue matters to you personally.
- Immunization information systems and vaccine tracking systems are being used for a range of interventions, including home visits, reminder and recall systems, which can be harassing for people who do not want these contacts. This should be an opt-in system, but several states have already adopted opt out systems and this bill will create incentives for more states to move to opt out systems, so that they have more data to share with the federal government to justify their requests for funding.
- Opt out systems do not properly protect people’s privacy because they do not remove private information. The only way to protect privacy in a vaccine registry/information system/tracking system is to require prior consent so those who do want to participate can prevent their personal information from being put into the database. Once information is put into the registry, because of permissions for unconsented disclosure for public health purposes authorized by HIPAA, this information could be used to identify and target individuals who have chosen not to be fully vaccinated for interventions and harassment. This information could also be used to discriminate against these families down the road.
- Supporters of vaccine tracking systems claim they are a way to protect patients by guaranteeing patients don’t receive multiple doses of the same vaccinations by different providers. According to CDC’s own statements, though, it’s clear that a key purpose of these registries is to create pressure on people who are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated. CDC openly stated that vaccine registries are a tool to identify areas of “undervaccination” so they can be “addressed” and brought into “compliance.” https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6133a2.htm
- Using Immunization Information Systems costs states millions of dollars. If H.R. 550 passes, an additional $400 million would be allocated to tracking taxpayers. The money spent on vaccine tracking systems would be better spent to measures that actually address public health.
Read the bill here: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/550?r=156&s=1
Read this article for more detailed information: https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/12/01/exclusive-tool-to-enforce-orwellian-rules-80-house-republicans-help-pass-bill-to-fund-federal-vaccination-database/
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Mike Kohn DVM says
privacy of medical information is a right of all Americans