This year, I've had two medical providers I'm interacting with for the first time email me health/diagnosis related material (regular old email, no cryptography

This year, I've had two medical providers I'm interacting with for the first time email me health/diagnosis related material (regular old email, no cryptography nor "log into your secure email" web site involvement). I'm not sure what role HIPAA's really playing, these days. I'm increasingly expecting "the government" (specifically, for me, in the U.S.)to step in with the old rubber hose / lead pipe and "secure" email by dint of finding ways to prosecute people who "steal" data -- even when that data is not physically/cryptographically secured at all. Use and mainstream economic dependency have grown to the size where that is how they will "solve" the problem, I expect.