The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) was designed to protect individuals' health information from inappropriate use. Protected health information includes past, present, or future payment for the provision of health care to an individual who identifies or could be used to identify the individual. Under HIPAA, employers who collect or access personal health information to provide employee benefits cannot use or disclose protected health information without consent or authorization from the individual. (Bennett-Alexander & Hartman, 2004, p. 731)…
