CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens hand out medical records to cops without warrants
Enlarge (credit: Getty | Jeffrey Greenberg)
All of the big pharmacy chains in the US hand over sensitive medical records to law enforcement without a warrant-and some will do so without even running the requests by a legal professional, according to a congressional investigation.
The revelation raises grave medical privacy concerns, particularly in a post-Dobbs era in which many states are working to criminalize reproductive health care. Even if people in states with restrictive laws cross state lines for care, pharmacists in massive chains, such as CVS, can access records across borders.
Lawmakers noted the pharmacies' policies for releasing medical records in a letter dated Tuesday to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra. The letter-signed by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), and Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.)-said their investigation pulled information from briefings with eight big prescription drug suppliers.