HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, is the federal law that protects your personal health information and limits who has access to it. Your healthcare provider, as well as your health insurance plan, must abide by these rules. HIPAA covers conversations with your doctor, anything written in your medical files, information kept about you at your health insurer, among other things. HIPAA also gives you the rights to see your own health records, make corrections to your health information, control who has access to it, as well as how your information is shared.
You can qualify for guaranteed issue insurance for an individual policy once you have exhausted your COBRA. This includes the 18 months Federal COBRA, as well as the additional 18 months under CalCobra that you are eligible if you worked at California based company. After your 36 months of COBRA coverage lapses, you have 63 days to apply for guaranteed issue insurance.
Another important function of the HIPAA law is to protect workers, who change jobs and insurances, from being disallowed coverage due to a pre-existing condition. Under HIPAA, you must have been covered by a qualified health insurance plan within the last 12 months, for this provision to be in effect.
If you are changing insurance because you are changing jobs, or because you are leaving your job or starting a business of your own, it’s important not to have a lapse in your insurance coverage. You want to be sure to not only to protect you and your family in case of illness or injury, but also to maintain your HIPAA protection. You can get an online quote at BenefitPackages, or contact us directly, to discuss California health insurance. BenefitPackages has been providing Californians with health insurance solutions since 1987. We can help you find the best medical insurance plan for you, at the best cost available.