I along with apparently a lot of other people disagree with your point. There's quite an uprising at Apple Computer company because of this. Steve Jobs and Apple didn't disclose his medical problems to the investors of Apple Inc., and it has caused a lot of tension. Everytime Cheney had so much as a heart murmer, it was disclosed to the American public. While Burkes doesn't compare to these people with the importance of their jobs, there's absolutely nothing wrong with disclosing medical information told by the person in question on the street. I think we can all agree that medical information shouldn't be released by hospitals and medical staff without the consent of the patient. However, this isn't the case. Apparently, Burkes disclosed the information himself which makes it public. If he didn't want the information out there, he wouldn't have answered the question. I see absolutely nothing wrong with what the poster posted.
You can disagree with me all you want...
It doesn't change the fact that federal, and state, laws prohibit unauthorized disclosure of a person's protected health information, (PHI).
If you do disclose that type of PHI, and you do not have permission in writing, then you are breaking the law...plain and simple.
To your point about Steve Jobs and Apple, because it also pertains to the Javario situation:
Decide whether to give your permission before your information can be used or shared for certain purposes:
In general, your health information cannot be given to your employer, used or shared for things like sales calls or advertising, or used or shared for many other purposes unless you give your permission by signing an authorization form. This authorization form must tell you who will get your information and what your information will be used for.
If you want to read up on what the law says, start here ---- >
HIPAA