HIPAA & Amendment Rights

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was a law enacted by Congress in 1996 and went into effect beginning 2003. This law and its amendments provide for a number of rights for individuals in regard to their medical coverage and records.

Function

• According to Title I of the HIPAA laws, group health plans and individual health insurance policies are subject to a mandated law that requires portability when a person terminates his employment with a company. This system is called the COBRA law.

Significance

• All Americans have the right to privacy in regards to their medical history and condition as of April 14, 2003. This privacy includes the payment history of an individual's medical care.

Types

• HIPAA and its amendments provide for three different types of security to safeguard compliance with the privacy act. This includes the rights to administrative protection, physical protection and technical protection.

Benefits

• An amendment to HIPAA was added in 2009 with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act highlighting the right to receive notification if personal information is compromised. This amendment is known as the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act.

Considerations

• Although predating the HIPAA Act by more than two decades, the Comprehensive Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Prevention, Treatment and Rehabilitation Act of 1970 was reinforced by the law. This provides the right to privacy and confidentiality when someone receives federally funded drug or alcohol rehabilitation.