HIPAA and Other Laws Governing Health Plans: Employers Face More Challenges

July 23, 2004

Previously published on May 2001

In 1996, Congress passed the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, also known as HIPAA. HIPAA impacts many aspects of health plan design and administration, and was intended to protect the health coverage of individuals who change jobs or lose a job, prevent discrimination in health benefits based on health factors, protect the privacy of health information of individuals participating in health plans, and facilitate the electronic transmission of information among health plan providers. In 1996, Congress also passed the Mental Health Parity Act and the Newborns' and Mothers' Health Protection Act, and in 1998 Congress passed the Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act.

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