Someday My Prince Will Come

I have been harping for years that the regulatory climate would change someday. It looks like that someday is upon us:

The new Congress is likely to include oversight of a health privacy law, known as Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, in the House Energy and Commerce Committee, where the feisty John Dingel is expected to take over and ally himself with muckraking Democratic Reps. Ed Markey and Henry Waxman. They'll have plenty to work with, as there have been some 20,000 violations of the complicated statute, according to Swire.

HIPAA is not the only regulation that enforcement has been lax on. A new congress will probably not be so likely to look the other way. Of course, big non-compliant targets will be flashiest, but smaller non-compliant targets (like you and me!) will be easier game.

Don't be the warm-up for the main event. There are a couple of months before the new congress sits. Use that time to tune up your compliance. I really don't want to read about you in the trades as the horrifying example.