Federal · Title 42 — Public Health and Welfare

42 U.S.C. § 1320d: Wrongful disclosure of individually identifiable health information

Felony

What this law says, in plain English

This statute prohibits wrongfully obtaining or disclosing individually identifiable health information. Penalties range from up to 1 year imprisonment for basic violations to up to 10 years for offenses involving false pretenses or commercial/malicious intent.

Read the full statutory text

uses or causes to be used a unique health identifier; obtains individually identifiable health information relating to an individual; or discloses individually identifiable health information to another person, be fined not more than $50,000, imprisoned not more than 1 year, or both; if the offense is committed under false pretenses, be fined not more than $100,000, imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both; and if the offense is committed with intent to sell, transfer, or use individually identifiable health information for commercial advantage, personal gain, or malicious harm, be fined not more than $250,000, imprisoned not more than 10 years, or both.

Verify at the official source: Federal legislative text

Facing this? Know exactly what happens next.

MOFRD turns this code section into your situation: the deadlines that apply to you, the forms your county uses, and the resolution paths people in your position actually take. Free for 3 days — no card required.

Start your matter free Ask Law Link about this code

This page is legal information, not legal advice. Code text is sourced from official publications and may lag amendments — always confirm at the official source linked above. Plain-English summaries and relationship data are AI-derived and reviewed on an ongoing basis; verify with a licensed attorney before acting.