Health Insurance Portability And Accountability Act Of 1996
What Does Health Insurance Portability And Accountability Act Of 1996 Mean?
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is legislation created to establish protective measures for the sharing and handling of health insurance data and to ensure the proper treatment of individuals covered by health insurance. It also amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and the Public Health Service Act (PHSA).
HIPAA is also known as the Kennedy-Kassebaum Act, named after Senators Edward Kennedy and Nancy Kassebaum, who sponsored the legislation.
Insuranceopedia Explains Health Insurance Portability And Accountability Act Of 1996
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) contains five sections, which include protections against denial of coverage for individuals with pre-existing conditions, safeguards for people changing jobs, and a prohibition on lifetime coverage limits. HIPAA also emphasizes establishing standards for the proper handling of medical data to ensure patient privacy and prevent unauthorized access to sensitive information. Since its enactment in 1996, HIPAA has been amended to include standards for handling electronic data as well.
