What is HIPAA?

HIPAA, also known as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, was passed by Congress in 1996 in order to protect the healthcare rights and privacy of employees. There are two titles to the act, each of which addresses a different issue. HIPAA was enacted in order to both improve the nation’s health care system and protect workers’ (and their families’) rights to receive insurance coverage.

Title I

Title I of HIPAA protects the rights of employees and their families to receive health care coverage even after they have left their places of employment (and, therefore, suffered the termination of their benefits). Sometimes, those enrolling in new group coverage plans will be excluded for a period of time – up to a twelve month period, depending on the coverage they had before this new enrollment. Under Title I, however, these exclusion periods are often reduced significantly.

Title II

Title II of HIPAA is likely the portion of this bill that most people think of when the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act is brought up. Under Title II, the privacy of health care recipients is protected. They are granted the right to control who can have access to information over their medical histories and billing information.

In order to ensure this privacy, health care and health insurance providers must establish certain protective measures that safeguard people’s health information and facilitates secure transfer of this information between parties with access privileges.

Contact Us

If you would like to learn more about your California health insurance options, then we can help. Catherine Michaels Insurance Services can provide you with the information you need about affordable insurance plans all over California. To speak with one of our agents today, contact our offices at 888-875-9888.