Assuming name isn't attached to the data, that'd require the spouse (or someone else) to do the legwork to link up the medical history.

When I say re-evaluate HIPAA, I don't mean "Hey, let's put everyone's name right next to every checkup and list it in a wikipedia like DB and email relatives about the results of every checkup". I mean "Hey, let's consider limiting the scope of the law and the penalties associated with it". It doesn't have to be a black and white thing.

That all seems like a worthy risk if it enables researchers to find that "Hey, looks like people prescribed medication X with medication Y tend to develop cancer Z way more frequently than the general public" or "Hey, looks like people with gene X respond way better to cancer treatment Y than the general public".