Fundamentals of HIPAA Practice Exam

Life insurance companies are not considered covered entities under HIPAA because the regulation specifically applies to entities that conduct certain electronic transactions related to healthcare. Covered entities include health care providers, health plans, and health care clearinghouses that deal with protected health information (PHI) in various ways.

Health insurance companies, healthcare providers who transmit health information electronically, and health information exchanges are all involved in managing and transmitting PHI and therefore fall under HIPAA's umbrella of covered entities. In contrast, life insurance companies typically deal with information that does not meet the criteria of health information as defined by HIPAA, focusing instead on other types of insurance and financial transactions. Consequently, they are not subject to the same HIPAA regulations designed to protect the confidentiality and security of health information.