Angie Craig: “I am happy to join Senator Dorgan in reintroducing legislation regarding the administrative simplification provision of…”

“I am happy to join Senator Dorgan in reintroducing legislation regarding the administrative simplification provision of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. We originally introduced legislation five months ago and have worked since then with members from both the Finance and HELP committees to negotiate a compromise. The bill we are introducing today is the product of those discussions. It provides for one additional much-needed year for providers, State health programs, health plans and others to implement the transactions and code set provision of administrative simplification. Importantly, this new version also includes language to clearly differentiate between this provision and the privacy provision of HIPAA. It was our intention all along that the medical privacy regulations not be affected by our legislation, and we believe this bill accomplishes that goal. My colleague and I have the benefit of being joined on this bill by many of the cosponsors of the original bill, and we are happy to have their support.”