Senate committee advances bill letting patients lock 'sensitive' health details after extended debate on safety

The New York State Senate Health Committee referred S.1633‑A to the Rules Committee on voice vote after a lengthy discussion about patient privacy and provider access to medical records.

S.1633‑A, introduced by Senator Fernandez (referenced in committee), would amend the Public Health Law to require health information networks, electronic health‑record systems and health‑care providers to give patients a right to restrict disclosures of certain sensitive health information. The bill’s sponsor was not present in the room; staff read the bill aloud to the committee.

Committee members debated whether the change could endanger patients seeking care outside New York. Senator Martin asked whether selective restrictions would ‘‘place patients at risk’’ by omitting information needed in an emergency, saying the bill ‘‘could put patients…at risk when they seek care outside of New York’’ and arguing that removing items from records might disadvantage future treating clinicians. A staff clarifier responded: "So this bill allows for the segregation of data so that 1 case can be separated from the rest and locked instead of locking an entire data record," adding the measure targets specific categories and not routine clinical data.

The chair (unnamed in the transcript) framed the proposal as protection for New Yorkers and their clinicians from out‑of‑state or federal legal actions targeting reproductive‑care providers, saying ‘‘abortion is health care’’ and arguing that clinicians and patients should be able to excise certain entries from records to avoid punitive legal consequences.

Committee members pressed for limits and precision. The staff listed the data categories the bill would cover: reproductive health services, gender‑affirming care, sexually transmitted infections, substance‑use treatment and mental‑health care, and said it would not restrict routine diagnoses such as diabetes or kidney failure.

After questions and remarks from multiple senators, Senator May moved the bill and Senator Webb seconded. The committee voted by voice and referred S.1633‑A to the Rules Committee.

The next procedural step is consideration by the Rules Committee; the bill’s sponsor or staff would be expected to provide formal clarifications as the bill advances.