“The article looks at the development, usage and applicability of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act since President Bill Clinton signed it into law in 1996. Interestingly, HIPAA was not intended to be this so-called “healthcare privacy law.” Instead, it was originally meant to protect health insurance coverage for workers who lost or changed jobs. However, as the health information technology sector grew and more electronic data was being created, HIPAA was amended to address new privacy concerns. The sources the journalist worked with offered insight and first-hand experience of understanding the new law in its early years as well as navigating its subsequent changes in the new IT space. Although HIPAA is widely called upon for privacy reasons, it appears it is still largely misunderstood by the general public and some hospitals, as healthcare organizations seem to use the law to protect themselves in certain legal scenarios instead of using the law to protect patients, as it is intended to do.”
