Which of the following is a key purpose of HIPAA?

The key purpose of HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) is to protect patient privacy and ensure the security of their medical information. This federal law was enacted to establish national standards for the protection of health information, particularly the privacy of individually identifiable health information that is maintained or transmitted by healthcare providers, health plans, and other entities involved in healthcare.

By setting these privacy and security standards, HIPAA minimizes the risk of unauthorized access to sensitive patient information, thus safeguarding individuals' rights to confidentiality regarding their medical records. This protection applies not only to written records but also to electronic and oral communications about patient health information. The act empowers patients by giving them rights regarding their health information, including the right to access their data and request corrections.

In contrast to this correct understanding, the other options reflect incorrect interpretations of HIPAA’s aims. For example, encouraging healthcare providers to freely share patient information does not align with HIPAA’s goal of ensuring privacy and security. Similarly, unauthorized access to patient records is contrary to the very essence of what HIPAA stands for, as it directly seeks to prevent such breaches. Lastly, limiting health insurance options is not a purpose of HIPAA; rather, it is focused on protecting personal health information while enabling portability