Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act

noun

Health Insurance Por·​ta·​bil·​i·​ty and Accountability Act -ˌpȯrt-ə-ˈbil-ət-ē-ənd-ə-ˌkau̇nt-ə-ˈbil-ət-ē- 

: a federal law enacted in 1996 that protects continuity of health coverage when a person changes or loses a job, that limits health-plan exclusions for preexisting medical conditions, that requires that patient medical information be kept private and secure, that standardizes electronic transactions involving health information, and that permits tax deduction of health insurance premiums by the self-employed

—abbreviation HIPAA