“Members of Congress debated a bill Wednesday that would convert federal employee health records to electronic files that employees would keep for life and that would transfer among doctors.”

“Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., chairman of the House Government Reform Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce and Agency Organization, held a hearing on the bill he introduced (H.R. 4859) last week that would mandate portable electronic health records within five years for everyone covered by federal employee health insurance.”

“The bill would require carriers who participate in the federal plan to provide electronic health records and also would allow individuals to add information including family history, diet and over-the-counter medications.”

“Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., said she supports the notion of electronic health records but questioned funding and said participation should be voluntary.”

“I think that the federal workforce is an appropriate guinea pig to experiment on–that is to say if, in fact, you have willing guinea pigs,” Norton said. “If you’re going to put people’s medical records out there in the great cyberspace beyond …do not even consider an ‘everybody’s in it and you’ve got to opt out’ [system].”

source: Govexec