What's the story on a national medical records database?

Factual Questions
1

I read in a book on privacy that anyone who ever used their social security number when visiting the doctor has a permanent record in some Medical Records Database.

  • Does it exist? What’s the name of it?
  • Do you have rights to contest the information supplied?

I was recently checked for company health/life insurance, along with all the other company officers.

I was the only one not approved right away, although I had no diseases ever on the check list they gave me, and I’m exactly in the middle of their own height-weight chart, tested clean on the blood test and blood pressure test, and am not the oldest or youngest of the group.

They made me get a special doctor’s exam and delayed me for two months.

I assume, since it wasn’t any info I gave them, that they were worried about something in my “permanent record”. If such a thing exists, it must be wrong, because I’ve never had anything but the flu.

So obviously I need to correct it, if such a record exists.

Or has the book on privacy overstated things and there is no such database?

2

It’s the University of California synopsis for highschool teachers. I guess in Civics or Health classes.

** http://www.lbl.gov/Education/ELSI/privacy-main.html **

Excerpt:

How is this Information Being Used?
In a recent 1993 Harris Poll, more than a quarter of the people who responded said that information about them had been improperly disclosed. Below is a list of some agencies who already have access to your medical information:

Health and Life Insurance companies require you to release your records before they will issue a policy to you.

Government agencies such as Medicare or Social Security Administration

The Medical Information Bureau has approximately 15 million files in a central database. Every time you file an insurance claim, a copy of this information goes to MIB.

Some institutions gather medical information on individuals and sell this information to drug companies.