Privacy concerns at the top of the list
So what can we make of this great promise by Google Health? I asked a number people with diabetes to find out. In spite of the potential to reduce health-care costs and prevent medical errors, the issue of privacy came up consistently among all of the respondents as the main concern. One of them went as far as to share that she had profound concerns over the privacy of her information.

What does Google Health state about privacy? On one end, their privacy policy claims: "Google stores your information securely and privately. We will never sell your data. You are in control, you choose what you want to share and what you want to keep private."

However, Google is not covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 ("HIPAA"). Furthermore, Google Health is a Patient Health Record (PHR). According to Patient Privacy Rights, a non-profit dedicated to ensuring Americans control all access to their health records, "no law ensures the information in your PHR will be kept private and confidential." This means you have to believe in Google's word.

So what have we in the end? Google is among the companies that can take the US in the direction of having most people accessing their medical records electronically. The question is: do you trust them enough to give them your medical information? That is an answer that only you can give.