No, being asked about your COVID-19 vaccination status is not a HIPAA violation
DETROIT (FOX 2) - More and more businesses, schools, and even entertainment venues are requiring proof of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Some workplaces and colleges are also requiring that people get vaccinated against COVID-19, meaning that people must prove to their school or job that they were vaccinated if required.
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The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, or HIPAA, has been used to argue that asking about vaccination status is illegal.
Contrary to arguments on social media, HIPAA does not protect against being asked about vaccination status, and it is perfectly legal to ask someone about it.
"HIPAA only governs certain kinds of entities – your clinician, hospital, or others in the health care sphere. It does not apply to the average person or to a business outside health care. It doesn’t give someone personal protection against ever having to disclose their health information," said Kayte Spector-Bagdady, the chief of the Research Ethics Service in the University of Michigan's Center for Bioethics and Social Sciences in Medicine.
Some places requesting to see proof of vaccination status, such as concert venues and bars, are allowing people to either show proof of vaccination or a negative test for entry, so if you fo not want to share your vaccination status, you will need to get a COVID test.
More:
- COVID-19 vaccine required to attend AEG Presents concerts
- El Club to require COVID-19 vaccine or negative test
- Broadway in Detroit to require vaccination or proof of negative COVID test
- Marble Bar to require proof of COVID-19 vaccine or negative test for entry
- Live Nation to require COVID-19 vaccination or negative test