Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, also known as the Kennedy-Kassebaum Act, was passed by Congress in 1996 to "improve portability and continuity of health insurance... combat waste, fraud and abuse... promote the use of medical savings accounts, to improve access to long-term care services and coverage, to simplify the administration of health insurance..."

This law directly impacts the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing, the Colorado Medical Assistance program, health care providers, and you. Among its other benefits, it has led to improved security of health care information, privacy for those who get health care services and drive improvements in the administrative efficiency of health care throughout the United States.

Watch the short video on this page to learn about more your privacy protections.

For more detailed information about HIPAA see below:

• HIPAA - Overview
• Transactions Under HIPAA
• Privacy Under HIPAA
• Colorado Medical Assistance Privacy Information and Forms:
  • Colorado Medical Assistance Notice of Privacy Practices (en español)
  • Colorado Medical Assistance HIPAA Privacy Forms