What is the main purpose of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)?

The main purpose of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is to protect the privacy of individuals' health information. Enacted in 1996, HIPAA establishes national standards for the protection of health information, ensuring that personally identifiable health data is kept confidential. This law mandates that health care providers, insurers, and their business associates implement safeguards to secure sensitive patient information, which includes guidelines on how and when health information can be shared.

The privacy regulations under HIPAA grant patients greater control over their health information, including the right to access their records and receive notifications regarding how their information is used and disclosed. This legal framework is crucial in ensuring that individuals can trust that their health information is handled securely and appropriately.

While other options touch on important aspects of health insurance, they do not accurately capture the primary focus of HIPAA, which is fundamentally about the privacy and security of health information. For instance, ensuring coverage for pre-existing conditions, reducing healthcare costs, or regulating insurance practices are addressed through different laws and regulations in the healthcare system but are not the main purpose of HIPAA.