Health Insurance Portability And Accountability Act And Electronic Privacy And Security

            Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and Electronic Privacy and Security.
             With the enactment of the Health Insurance Portability and Procurement Act (HIPAA) in 1996, many issues surrounding the electronic privacy and security of protected health information have come under scrutiny. HIPAA law covers health information privacy and security, in addition to health insurance portability.
             "The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-191), often referred to as "HIPAA" or the "Kennedy/Kassebaum" law after its lead cosponsors, Senators Nancy Landon Kassebaum and Edward Kennedy, was passed by Congress and signed by President Clinton in August, 1996." (Michael & Pritchett, 2001, p.524) HIPAA regulates various aspects of healthcare and health information, ensures reasonable efforts to ensure patient confidentiality, and guards against improper disclosure of information. HIPAA affects the entire healthcare profession, including health plans, physicians, hospitals, and other healthcare providers.
             The Health Care Access, Portability, and Renewability section of the HIPAA law protects millions of American families concerning access to and changes with health insurance. "In short, HIPAA may lower your chance of losing existing coverage, ease your ability to switch health plans, and/ or obtain coverage on your own if you lose your employer's plan and have no other coverage available." (Norman & Burroughs, 2002, p.862). This aspect of HIPAA became effective in 1997.
             The Administrative Simplification provisions of HIPAA regulate standardization in three areas; electronic transaction and code sets, privacy of health information, and security and electronic signature issues. Currently, there are several hundred codes that the health care industry uses to transmit electronic claims, and other health information.