Health Care Information and
Portability Act of 1996 (HIPAA)
Public
Law 104-191
A Federal law that makes
a number of changes that have the goal of allowing persons to qualify
immediately for comparable health insurance coverage when they change their
employment relationships. Title II, Subtitle F, of HIPAA gives HHS
the authority
to mandate the use of standards for the electronic exchange of health care data;
to specify what medical and Administrative
Code Sets should be used within those
standards; to require the use of national identification systems for health care
patients, providers, payers
(or plans), and employers (or sponsors); and to
specify the types of measures required to protect the security and privacy of
personally identifiable health care information. Also known as the Kennedy-Kassebaum
Bill, the Kassebaum-Kennedy Bill, K2, or Public Law 104-191.*
"An Act...To amend the Internal Revenue
Code of 1986 to improve portability and continuity of health insurance coverage
in the group and individual markets, to combat waste, fraud, and abuse in health
insurance and health care delivery, to promote the use of medical savings
accounts, to improve access to long-term care services and coverage, to simplify
the administration of health insurance, and for other purposes."
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