Americans are willing to share personal data — even sensitive medical data — to advance the common good. However, the majority of regulations surrounding medical data focus on individuals’ ability to restrict the use of their medical data, with scant attention paid to supporting the ability to share personal data. As Eleni Manis writes for RealClearHealth, policymakers can begin to right this balance by establishing a national medical data donor registry that allows individuals contribute their medical data to support research after their deaths. Doing so would help medical researchers pursue cures and improve health care outcomes for all Americans.
