I am thoroughly dumbstruck. I was just informed by our mail order prescription drug company that I do not have the right, under newly amended HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) laws, to manage my 13-year-old son’s prescriptions. This information was dumped on me after two hours of tech support idiocy as I attempted to set up an online account to streamline the process of ordering prescription refills for my family. Please note the irony here.
After finally being told that it would take three to five more business days to get the online account up and working, I decided to end the call before I dismantled the phone and furiously ingested its portable batteries. Then I remembered the reason for my call in the first place. My son was in need of his allergy medication. I said, “Well, can you at least tell me how to order my son’s prescription refills online?” “That depends,” the heavily accented voice on the other end of the phone stated.
“On … ?” I took the bait.
“On how old he is,” she answered.
“He just turned 13.”
“Oh, well then, no. You cannot manage his account without his direct written permission.”
“But he doesn’t have an account. He’s 13.”
“Well, he will have to set up his own account and then he can order his own prescriptions.”
“But he doesn’t have a credit card. He has no way to pay for them. Wait a minute, is this a gag? You’re just joking with me because I sound like I’m about to lose it, right?”
“No ma’am. Once a child is 13, the new HIPAA laws require the child to give written permission to a parental caregiver to have access to any of their prescription drug information.”
“That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Who made that law? Seriously. I really want to know. Because it obviously wasn’t someone with a 13-year-old child. Because my kid is a great kid. He’s responsible, practical, thoughtful. But I can pretty much guarantee that left to his own devices, the last thing he’s gonna be focused on is ordering his allergy meds on a monthly basis.”
“Well, if he chooses to set up his own account and grants caregiver access to you, then you will be allowed to order his medications.”
At this point, I excused myself and hung up, knowing that no good could come from my continued attempts to reason with the ridiculous automaton voice on the other end. Let me be clear here. My 13-year-old son requires my assistance to oversee and manage his pharmaceutical needs. And there’s no way I’m going to allow him (or his brother in 3 years) to do it themselves. Call me a helicopter parent, but setting 13-year-old kids free to access their own stash of pharmaceuticals sounds like a pretty big recipe for large-scale disaster. Am I missing something here?
So back off HIPAA. I’m the sheriff in this town. My kid takes the meds I buy him based on his doctor’s recommendation, and I am not about to let a 13-year-old boy make his own health care decisions without my express consent and input.
I just have one question. The new Obamacare laws allow kids to stay on their parents’ insurance plans until they reach 26, even if they’re married and not living at home. HIPAA insists that 13-year-old minors manage their meds on their own. So which is it, are we raising 13-year-old adults or 26-year-old children?
Debra Rich Gettleman is a mother and blogger based in the Phoenix area. For more of her work, visit unmotherlyinsights.com.
