What is HIPPA?

HIPPA stands for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1996. In a nutshell, it’s a law that protects your personal health information and ensures that it remains private and secure. 

Imagine you visit your doctor for a check-up, and they take some notes about your health. HIPPA ensures that these notes are treated with care and not shared inappropriately. It sets rules and standards for healthcare providers, insurance companies, and other organizations that handle your health data. 

One key aspect of HIPPA is the Privacy Rule, which establishes who can access your health records and under what circumstances. It gives you rights over your personal health information, like the right to see and request changes to it. 

Another essential part is the Security Rule, which focuses on electronic health records. It requires organizations to have safeguards to protect your data from unauthorized access, whether stored on a computer or sent over the internet. 

In summary, HIPPA is a law that ensures your health information stays private and secure. It sets rules for healthcare providers and organizations to follow so that they handle your data responsibly and protect it from misuse.