The
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (
HIPAA; ) was enacted by the
United States Congress and signed by President
Bill Clinton in 1996. It has been known as the
Kennedy–
Kassebaum Act or Kassebaum–Kennedy Act after two of its leading sponsors. Title I of HIPAA protects
health insurance coverage for workers and their families when they change or lose their jobs. Title II of HIPAA, known as the Administrative Simplification (AS) provisions, requires the establishment of national standards for
electronic health care transactions and national identifiers for providers, health insurance plans, and employers.