Netizens showered several funny comments and memes when Dak Prescott invoked HIPAA in vaccine question that was asked to him by the journalists.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott referred to a medical privacy law when we was asked about his vaccination status. Asked at a press conference on Friday if he has received a vaccine, Prescott responded, "I don't necessarily think that's exactly important," and then added, "I think that's HIPAA," reported USA Today.
A report published in Yahoo Sports website says that people might have legitimate reasons for not wanting to answer that particular question. A "no comment" suffices. Invoking HIPAA just sets the answerer up for ridicule, fair or not.
What is HIPAA?
According to the CDC, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is a federal law that required the creation of national standards to protect sensitive patient health information from being disclosed without the patient's consent or knowledge.
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued the HIPAA Privacy Rule to implement the requirements of HIPAA. The HIPAA Security Rule protects a subset of information covered by the Privacy Rule.
It Doesn't Apply to the Media
The US Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) must be followed by "covered entities," including health insurance companies, Medicare, Medicaid, health care providers, and health care clearinghouses such as the Medical Information Bureau. That does not include the media.
Various reports say that if medical staff disclosed health information to a reporter, and the medical staff did not have permission from the patient, the medical staff may have violated HIPAA, but the reporter has not. A media member asking a player his vaccination is not and never has been a HIPAA violation.
Social Media Reactions
Twitter users immediately pointed out the bluff committed by Prescott. Many users told it's time we start educating about HIPAA in schools, as nobody has a clue about it. Another user wrote, "I thought Dak was smarter than this! Very disappointed." Some netizens expressed their disapproval over athletes not embracing vaccines.
Marjorie Taylor Greene also Faced Similar Situation
Prescott isn't the only public figure to claim HIPAA rights this week after being asked about vaccines.
On Tuesday, Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was asked a simple question. She was asked by a reporter on Tuesday whether she has been vaccinated against COVID-19.
"Your first question is a violation of my HIPAA rights. You see with HIPAA rights, we don't have to reveal our medical records and that also involves our vaccine records," she claimed.
Twitter this week suspended Greene from the platform for 12 hours after she shared tweets that violated its policy on posting misleading information on COVID-19, reported USA Today.
