New Years To Do: Opt Out of Your State Vaccine Database

Today the Washington Post printed a story entitled, "2013 is the year that proved your ‘paranoid’ friend right."  So now that we are all on the same page that the US government is completely run amok, is all up in in everyone's business, and that those of us who trusted that it would look out for our own good (rather than the corporate $$$ interests of their donors or their own profit and power) were naive babies... and that none of the three branches give a crap that you don't like what they are doing... let's look forward to how to avoid the next thing that they are gonna do to piss people off.  That right now... of course... we are called crazy for considering might become a possibility.

THE COMING VACCINE PUSH!  (who are we kidding... they are constantly pushing...)

Paul Offit, Pharma Face for Vaccines, of course, has been telegraphing this for years.  Pharma goes, "what completely insane thing do we wanna do that we know we will never get away with?"  Then they tell Offit to write about that thing, then they get their blogdoggies to push that thing, cause God Offit said the thing, then five years later, they are actually pushing the thing out in the open like it is totally sane and people in positions of power to make that thing happen are all... "well yeah... we should do that thing!  People have been talking about it for years!"  (As they cash the Pharma check.)

We are in the middle of such a thing now.  Three years ago Offit was quoted in The Lancet suggesting that parents must complete an education program (to of course tell them what a bad choice they are making) before having the right to opt out of vaccinating their children.

“Offit suggests one way to raise vaccination rates is to make it harder for people not to get themselves or their children vaccinated. This could mean, for example, attending educational classes that teach the public what the safety profiles of different vaccines are, before they are allowed to opt out of vaccination. “You have to convince people that a choice not to get a vaccine is not a risk-free choice; it’s just a choice to take a different risk.”

Jump ahead two years, and what do you know...  a pediatrician in the legislature, backed by AAP and every Pharma whore ever... introduces AB2109 in California, requiring that parents must complete an education program (to of course tell them what a bad choice they are making) before having the right to opt out of vaccinating their children.  Apparently they had been lobbying for it quietly for at least a year, so by the time it came up for a vote, parents were too late to get legislators on their side.

One year later... what's that Paul Offit?  You are teaching an online education program to tell parents what a bad choice they are making if they opt out of vaccinating?  YOU DON'T SAY?!  Wow... who saw that coming!



How long before these all merge and you have to take Offit's propeganda course before you are ALLOWED to make decisions on what goes into your own body or the bodies of your children in your state/school system/medical practice/profession?  Stay tuned to find out.

So let's stop being niave and pretending these things happen organically, rather than being planned in marketing boardrooms years in advance.

On to state vaccine registries.

While no one was noticing... all fifty states set up databases of who has and has not been vaccinated with what.  And yes you and your kids are probably in there.

"Ginger, that's crazy!  We have medical privacy... surely that would violate our privacy rights!"

"Wake up and smell the 1984," I say.

Here is the CDC's master list of all the state databases: CDC Immunization Information Systems (IIS)

Here is my state's information on the program:  ImmPact:  Maine Immunization Information System

Here is what the program is for:

Intent:  The Immunization Information System is intended to be a repository for accurate and up to date immunization records for all persons born, residing, or receiving vaccine in the State of Maine. The primary purpose of the system is to collect data related to vaccine administration, and to promote effective and cost efficient prevention of vaccine preventable diseases.

Note the language, "all persons."  That is me and us and everyone here.

Here is how the program works:

4.         Establishment Of The Immunization Information System:

            A.        All children born in Maine and registered in the Electronic Birth Certificate system shall have their demographic data entered into the Immunization Information System (hereinafter referred to as the “IIS”).

            B.         The Department may use any birth record, Medicaid record, school record, or immunization record for the purposes of obtaining an individual’s Immunization and Demographic Information and entering that Information into the IIS.

            C.         An Immunization Provider who administers immunizations with vaccines provided by the Department shall record or report all immunizations administered directly into the Immunization Information System, or through other methods as approved by the Department, within five (5) working days of administering the immunization.

            D.        All Patients will be informed during an initial immunization encounter with an Immunization Provider of the inclusion of their immunization record and demographic information into the IIS, and will be provided with the opportunity to opt-out of the IIS. All Patients will automatically have their immunization and demographic information maintained in the IIS, unless a Patient states in writing on a form prescribed by the Department, that he or she wants to opt out of the IIS.

Note that they are supposed to tell you this ahead of time, and that if you don't want in, you have to opt out. (Hey Mainers... do you even know about this database?)

Here is the bit on confidentiality:

5.         Confidentiality Of The Immunization Information System

            A.        Identifying information contained in the IIS shall only be disclosed to Authorized Users and the individual that it identifies, except in the case of an authorized exchange (as specified in Section 10-C), or in the event of a public health emergency, as defined by statute.

            B.         Authorized Users must sign a user agreement in a form prescribed by the Department that sets forth the terms for using the IIS. Any such Agreement shall include a confidentiality clause, as well as provisions related to penalties for unauthorized disclosure.

            C.         Authorized Users shall not disclose information from the IIS about an individual except to another Authorized User when allowed by these rules, or by state and federal laws addressing patient confidentiality.

Isn't that Adorable?!  (Must have been written before 2012.)

You can read all the rules here.

Who cares if they know exactly what vaccines you and your kids have had?  Well this is where a little clause in the Obamacare law can make things relevant to your interests (emphasis mine):

H.R. 3590 An Act Entitled The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, 
TITLE IV, 
Subtitle C-Creating Healthier Communities, 
section 4204,  Immunizations, 
(b):Demonstration Program To Improve Immunization Coverage-
‘(1) IN GENERAL- The Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shall establish a demonstration program to award grants to States to improve the provision of recommended immunizations for children, adolescents, and adults through the use of evidence-based, population-based interventions for high-risk populations.
‘(2) STATE PLAN- To be eligible for a grant under paragraph (1), a State shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require, including a State plan that describes the interventions to be implemented under the grant and how such interventions match with local needs and capabilities, as determined through consultation with local authorities.
‘(3) USE OF FUNDS- Funds received under a grant under this subsection shall be used to implement interventions that are recommended by the Task Force on Community Preventive Services (as established by the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) or other evidence-based interventions, including--
‘(A) providing immunization reminders or recalls for target populations of clients, patients, and consumers;
‘(B) educating targeted populations and health care providers concerning immunizations in combination with one or more other interventions;
‘(C) reducing out-of-pocket costs for families for vaccines and their administration;
‘(D) carrying out immunization-promoting strategies for participants or clients of public programs, including assessments of immunization status, referrals to health care providers, education, provision of on-site immunizations, or incentives for immunization;
‘(E) providing for home visits that promote immunization through education, assessments of need, referrals, provision of immunizations, or other services;
‘(F) providing reminders or recalls for immunization providers;
‘(G) conducting assessments of, and providing feedback to, immunization providers;
‘(H) any combination of one or more interventions described in this paragraph; or
‘(I) immunization information systems to allow all States to have electronic databases for immunization records.

States will be given money to come to your house and give your children their "recommended" vaccines.  (One bully school system already tried it, took a local news crew along to film it, and they both were sued for it. Video here.)

You know what states love?  Money.

Federal Government: "Hey State....  Wanna million dollars to count the number of dots on all the backs of all the salmon in your state?"

State:  "Sure... why not

Federal Government: "What about ten million for a door to door vaccination program?"

State:  "Hell, yeah!"

The only thing preventing all states from asking for this cash for door to door vaccination?  The fear of doors slammed in faces and angry voters calling to yell at the Governor VaxALot.

But I am sure there will be a campaign on the way to get people to accept that too.

So in the mean time.  Contact your state IIS and get your names off the database.

ADDENDUM:

Some have asked about how to opt out.  Check with your state.  Here is how to do it in Maine:

6.         Individual’s Right To Opt Out Of The Immunization Information System             A.        Any individual may choose to be excluded from the IIS, thereby limiting future access to his or her Immunization Records and Demographic Information from the IIS, by submitting a signed and witnessed document to his or her Immunization Provider on a form prescribed by the Department. The Department’s form shall contain, at a minimum, the following information:                         (1)        the Patient’s name;                         (2)        the Patient’s address;                         (3)        the Patient’s date of birth;                         (4)        the Patient’s signature;                         (5)        the Witness’s signature                         (6)        the Patient’s reason for the requested exclusion; and                         (7)        the Department address.             B.         The Patient is responsible for notifying any Immunization Provider at each encounter of the decision to be excluded from the IIS. No Immunization Provider or health plan shall be liable for entering a previously excluded Patient into the Registry if that Patient did not provide that Immunization Provider or health plan with written notice of the exclusion. This rule does not relieve the excluded Patient from the obligation to comply with current immunization requirements set forth in State Law.             C.         Upon being notified that a Patient wants to be excluded from the IIS, the Immunization Provider is responsible for opting out that Patient from the IIS, and continues to be responsible for the maintenance of appropriate immunization record keeping for the Patient.             D.        In the event that an individual does not have an Immunization Provider, that Patient shall notify the Department directly in writing on the prescribed form of his or her decision to be excluded from the IIS.