Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) Practice Exam

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Prepare for the HIPAA Exam. Review flashcards and multiple choice questions, each with hints and explanations. Equip yourself with knowledge on health data privacy, transaction standards, and more!

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Which statement about state or local laws in relation to HIPAA is true?

  1. State or local laws can override HIPAA regulations

  2. State or local laws can never override HIPAA

  3. HIPAA regulations take precedence over all state laws

  4. HIPAA and state laws are considered equally important

The correct answer is: State or local laws can never override HIPAA

The correct statement regarding state or local laws in relation to HIPAA is that state or local laws can never override HIPAA. Under HIPAA, federal regulations set a baseline for the protection of health information, and these laws must be followed by covered entities. However, HIPAA does allow for state laws to provide more stringent protections; thus, when state laws are stricter than HIPAA, the entities must comply with the state law. This signifies that the compliance landscape is hierarchical: while state and local laws may enhance HIPAA's protections, they cannot diminish the federal privacy standards established by HIPAA. Therefore, it’s important to understand that HIPAA creates a minimum standard that must be upheld even in the face of varying state regulations.