Hoovering up the medical records of hundreds of millions of people to chase a question science settled decades ago flips research on its head. Promises that stripped-down records stay anonymous don't hold up, and the folks most likely to be re-identified are the ones already facing discrimination. A giant identifiable database with no stated safeguards is a breach and abuse waiting to happen.
Medical records belong to patients, not to hospitals, insurers or contractors paid to keep them locked away. A modern, connected data system finally lets doctors see the full picture, exposes waste and fraud and answers honest questions about why chronic disease keeps climbing. And when anyone can check a claim against the actual evidence, "trust the experts" stops being a substitute for proof.
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