Kent, you don't say where you are.

If U.S. have you recently applied yourself for health insurance or disability insurance? Over the past few years I've done both, a couple times. In my field it is almost unheard-of to have company-sponsored coverage, so I finally got an individual plan.

For both that, and the DI, I've signed forms 8 ways to Sunday that give everyone and their brother access to my medical records. IN those records, is everything I've ever seen a dr. for, right? Even if I paid for it myself? And believe me, there's plenty I haven't been seen for because I feared what might happen down the line to break me and bring down my family's financial house of cards.

When you become a patient @ a dr.s office, you also sign similar forms, don't you?

It's part of what the nuns used to call your PERMANENT RECORD. In hushed tones. I didn't give a (#&@ then, but I do know.

I recently had a few biopsies myself (all clear, my friends). Do you really believe that if I'd paid for them myself, the next insurance application I filled out wouldn't ask? And whatever carte blanche I had to sign wouldn't give them access? And they would cover whatever cancer might show up in the future?!

Dani