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6.3.2 HIPAA

HIPAA is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.  A HIPAA Standard Plan is any group health care plan that provides medical care to covered individuals and/or their dependents directly or through insurance, reimbursement, or by some other means.  Medical care means amounts paid for diagnosis, cure, mitigation (moderation), treatment or prevention of disease; or amounts paid for the purpose of affecting any structure or function of the body.  

 

A policy that pays for a doctor’s services in either an in-patient or outpatient setting qualifies as a HIPAA plan.  The amount or type of benefits paid; co-insurance, deductibles, caps, etc., do not matter as long as the plan meets the HIPAA Standard Plan criteria.

 

The health care plan cannot be limited to a single type of covered service or only accessible in a very defined circumstance.  Plans limited to accident, disability , vision, long term care or dental are not examples of HIPAA plans.

 

This page last updated in Release Number: 04-02

Release Date: 07/01/03

Effective Date: 07/01/03