Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPAA)

HIPAA stands for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and in 1996 the U. S. Congress enacted it. The purpose of HIPAA law is improving the system of health insurance. Each of the providers of healthcare, health government plans, and health organizations is required to obey the HIPPAA law’s regulations.

The first HIPPAA title protects health insurance coverage for employees and their loved ones. It corrected the Public Health Service Act, the Internal Revenue Code, and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. The second HIPPAA title is called also AS or Administrative Simplification provisions. It assists individuals in order to keep their personal information. This is the about protecting the information of a patient. The second title requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to summarize rules which purpose is to increase the health care system effectiveness through spreading the information of health care and making standards for use.

The HIPPAA Privacy Rule (from 16.10.2003) regulates the disclosure and use of particular information in possession of health insurers, service medical providers and so on. It is a regulation for PHI or Protected Health Information. The PHI is the information of an individual that concerns health care provision, health care payment, or health status. Thanks to the Privacy Rule, the individuals have the power to ask for that a covered entity make right any wrong PHI. This rule makes the covered entities inform the people of any uses of their PHI.

Every individual can complain to the Department of Health and Human Services if he/she believes that the Privacy rule is not upheld. After they receive the complaint, they can take some actions against insurers, doctors, hospitals, or anyone else that violates the rule.