Thirty-fourth Middlesex District State Rep. Christine Barber.

State Representative Christine P. Barber of Somerville and Medford joined her House colleagues in voting last week to engross the PATCH Act, An Act to protect access to confidential healthcare.

Confidentiality is a critical aspect of the patient-provider relationship, but one that may be compromised under the current insurance framework in Massachusetts. When a person accesses health care, health plans typically send an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) to the primary subscriber of the plan. This notice is not a bill, but details the type and cost of medical services accessed, and can often include sensitive information about sexual and reproductive health, mental health, domestic violence, or sexual assault. For patients receiving health insurance as a dependent on the health plan of a family member or spouse, the confidentiality they expect from a provider may be compromised when an EOB is sent to the primary policyholder.

People who are divorced, those involved in an abusive relationship or young people covered on their parents’ plan up to the age of 26 may not wish for their medical services to be disclosed and as a result, this can prevent patients from communicating openly with their doctor, or from seeking care at all, for fear of a lack of confidentiality.

Legislation adopted by the House last Wednesday closed this privacy loophole by instructing all health plans in Massachusetts to send “member-level” EOBs to each insured individual, instead of sending only one to the primary subscriber. Members are also allowed to choose their preferred method of receiving an EOB, allowing them control over whether an EOB is sent to the primary subscriber at all, and all EOBs will be required to contain only general information that does not disclose the type of care received.

“Confidentiality is of utmost importance when it comes to ensuring patients receive quality health care, and that they are comfortable communicating openly with their health care providers,” said Representative Barber. “Everything we can do to ensure privacy and make sure all people, particularly women and young people, feel comfortable accessing the care they need, is critical to improving and protecting health care access in the Commonwealth.”

— The Office of State Representative Christine P. Barber