Source: The Markup
Epic Systems' MyChart, which powers health records for millions of Americans, advertises patient control over data sharing. The Markup's investigation found major hospitals actively obstruct the opt-out process through bureaucratic friction, misinformation, and outright refusal to honor their stated policies. The result is a gap between healthcare's stated privacy practices and actual patient agency: the burden of asserting rights is steep enough that most people abandon the attempt rather than persist.