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Medical Confidentiality for Domestic Abuse Survivors

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ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Maryland officials are holding a briefing on a new law that ensures privacy of confidential medical information for survivors of domestic violence.

The law, which was passed last year, will be outlined Tuesday in Annapolis. It applies to victims who seek reproductive health care, mental health or medical treatment or counseling.

The hearing is being held to detail how a new form that the Maryland Insurance Administration uses to help to insure privacy and security. 

Once the form is signed and submitted, it instructs insurance companies to forward all insurance communications to an address provided by the patient, instead of to the address determined by the policyholder. Maryland is one of the first states in the nation to have such a law.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.