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<p>The European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into effect from
25 May, replacing the Data Protection Act 1998. Within the updated regulation is the
right of access, which gives individuals the right to obtain a copy of their personal
data, including, from a health perspective, copies of medical records. Previously,
under the Data Protection Act 1998, organisations were able to make a charge for dealing
with the administration required in such a request. Under the GDPR, the ability in
law to levy such charges has been removed in most cases.</p><p> </p><p>One exception
to this principle is medical information required by insurance companies for underwriting
purposes. The right of access under GDPR confers more personal information than is
needed or is justified for insurance underwriting. Accordingly, insurance companies
should instead use the established mechanism of the Access to Medical Reports Act
1988 (AMRA) to obtain summary medical reports from general practitioners (GPs). The
AMRA allows the GP to charge a reasonable fee to cover the cost of copying the report.</p>
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