What is HIPAA

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, is a law that was enacted in 1996. This act protects the health insurance coverage of workers and families who change or lose their jobs. It also sets requirements for the establishment of national standards for electronic transactions in health care, as well as standards for national identifiers for providers, insurance plans, and employers. This serves to increase the security and privacy of patients’ health information.

The increased security over patient privacy is meant to protect patients from health care fraud and abuse, among other issues. It also keeps information about the patient’s health away from anyone who does not need to have it. This allows for a reduction in discriminatory action against the patient based on the status of his or her health. However, this act has also causes a few problems because of the severity of punishment for breaking it.

Often, doctors and nurses remain cautious when giving out patient information. This is because the penalties for violating HIPAA can be severe. These health care workers are reluctant to give out information, making it difficulty to get health information that you have a right to access.

Contact Option 1 for a Texas Health Insurance Plan

The laws surrounding health insurance can be very confusing. If you have questions, or are considering a Texas health insurance plan, please contact Option 1 Health Insurance today.