[big_chungus]

But in that case, it _really_ belongs to the government, not to you. "Your" SSN isn't yours; the government "owns" the number and uses it to uniquely identify you. I trust my medical records being on paper at my house, not in someone else's database (be it owned by a government or by a company).

[shadowgovt]

Out of curiosity, how does that work when your doctor needs to treat you? And if you suffer cranial trauma and can't remember where you keep those medical records, do you just get worse care from that point forward because your healtcare provider lacks access to your history?

[big_chungus]

Trusted family members have access to my information, too. I'll admit it doesn't work perfectly if one lives on his own without family.

[JaRail]

That doesn't really help in an emergency. You could be dead from a drug interaction before they even know you're in a hospital.

[big_chungus]

I mean, the same situation could happen even with medical records, unless you give every hospital instant access to everyone's medical info. I assume you're referring to the sort of situation where one is taken to the ER for emergency treatment; even were an electronic record system to be implemented, how would the hospital obtain records from an unconscious person? That's absolutely the sort of situation where doctors must try emergency treatment and have to risk an adverse reaction. I acknowledge there are flaws to the system, but I fail to see how an electronic system mitigates those flaws.

[JaRail]

> how would the hospital obtain records from an unconscious person?

In most developed countries, they pull his ID out of his wallet and type it into the nearest computer. National healthcare has many advantages.