Do family members have a right to know when a loved one overdoses on opioids?
Amid a national opioid epidemic, should family members have the right to know when an adult child has been revived from an overdose?
The right to medical privacy is enshrined in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and a host of other confidentiality rules. But a White House-appointed panel is now considering whether to recommend that those privacy regulations be relaxed in a bid to help contain the country’s rising tide of opioid overdoses.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who is leading President Trump’s opioid the panel is discussing ways to ensure family members know when a person is revived with naloxone following an overdose. The goal would be to ensure that, after a near-death experience, those struggling with addiction have a support system to help steer them toward treatment.
