Title 42, The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-73not60

§1397j–1 General Provisions

Title 42 › Chapter 7— SOCIAL SECURITY › Subchapter XX— BLOCK GRANTS AND PROGRAMS FOR SOCIAL SERVICES AND ELDER JUSTICE › § 1397j–1

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

When carrying out programs under this division, the Secretary must protect people’s health privacy under the rules in section 264(c) of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 and any applicable State or local privacy laws. The division does not stop an elder from relying on prayer alone for healing if they either state that choice at the time about a current illness—spoken or written—while competent, put it in a valid advance directive under State law, or it can be clearly inferred from their life history.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §1397j–1

The Public Health and Welfare, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In pursuing activities under this division, the Secretary shall ensure the protection of individual health privacy consistent with the regulations promulgated under section 264(c) of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 and applicable State and local privacy regulations.
(b)Nothing in this division shall be construed to interfere with or abridge an elder’s right to practice his or her religion through reliance on prayer alone for healing when this choice—
(1)is contemporaneously expressed, either orally or in writing, with respect to a specific illness or injury which the elder has at the time of the decision by an elder who is competent at the time of the decision;
(2)is previously set forth in a living will, health care proxy, or other advance directive document that is validly executed and applied under State law; or
(3)may be unambiguously deduced from the elder’s life history.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

section 264(c) of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, referred to in subsec. (a), is section 264(c) of Pub. L. 104–191, which is set out as a note under section 1320d–2 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 1397j–1

Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Apr 5, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60