Rep. Anthony Weiner announced this week that he's seeking treatment for sexual "addiction" -- mortifying in formation that a private person would want to keep to himself. But it soon may be difficult to keep any sensitive medical problem strictly between you and your doctor.

The 2009 stimulus and the Obama health law enacted last year established a national electronic health database that will hold and display your lifelong medical history -- making it accessible to a troubling number of strangers, including government employees and a variety of health-care personnel.