TAC Health & Employee Benefits Pool

Several Counties and Districts have asked for more information about the content of the Plan Sponsor Certification and HIPAA requirements in general. TAC HEBP is happy to provide the recording of HIPAA Basics for Health Plan Sponsors, an educational webinar presented by Christy Tinnes of Groom Law Group in Washington, DC. This is not formal HIPAA training, but a high-level overview of HIPAA, including an explanation of the Plan Sponsor Certification.

TAC is limited in what information they may disclose to Counties and Districts, as this information is considered “protected health information” (PHI) under HIPAA. For example, when Counties and Districts request information about which individuals completed a wellness program offered by Healthy County, that information would be PHI. TAC cannot disclose PHI to the Counties or Districts unless: (1) the individual provides their HIPAA authorization; or (2) the County/District is acting in its Plan Sponsor capacity and signs a Plan Sponsor Certification that it will comply with HIPAA.

Disclaimer: TAC provides this HIPAA webinar as an educational resource only. Each County and District has its own HIPAA responsibilities, including localized HIPAA training with respect to any health plans they sponsor. Counties and Districts should consult their own County/District attorney or outside counsel regarding specific actions they should or should not take. The facts of each County or District’s benefit plans and structure may differ from the examples in this webinar. Neither this webinar nor TAC provide legal advice.