California mother talks to her son’s doctor and learns a crazy fact about his health care records once he turns 11: ‘Minors cannot give consent’

HIPAA exists to protect patient privacy. However, Rachel (thatdangrachel), a California mother, learned that she would soon no longer have access to her 11-year-old son’s medical records. Confused, she felt compelled to share it on Instagram. Her post not only got 4 million views, but it also sparked a massive conversation and inspired stitches from other platforms.

Rachel began recording midway through a conversation with his doctor’s office. In the video, she laughs helplessly as the receptionist or nurse explains things to her. Seeking confirmation, she states what she understood from the conversation so far, saying, “So, while he’s 11, I’ll have access to his medical records. But once he turns 12, the government locks me out?” She gets the confirmation: “He now has privacy rights under HIPAA at the age of 12.”