What does HIPAA require health insurers to do?

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) mandates that health insurers must maintain control over the disclosure of their customers' protected health information (PHI). This means that they have specific responsibilities to safeguard medical data and ensure that it is only shared in accordance with the law or with the consent of the patient. By establishing stringent regulations regarding the handling and sharing of PHI, HIPAA aims to promote privacy and security in healthcare, thereby enhancing patient trust.

This requirement highlights the importance of confidentiality in healthcare settings and underscores the necessity for health insurers to implement policies and procedures that restrict access to sensitive medical information. Compliance with HIPAA is critical for health insurers to protect individual privacy rights while also outlining the proper channels for information sharing when appropriate.