GOP Ponders, Rejects Medical ID Delay

Prompted by questions about patient privacy rights, House Republicans considered but rejected a delay in a program to give every American a computer identification number to track health care from birth to death. In a 1996 law, Congress directed the Clinton administration to implement the plan. But the administration has moved slowly, fearing sensitive information about health and medical treatments could land in the wrong hands. Members of Congress did not recognize the privacy implications until media reports this week, said a Republican aide.