The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act passed Congres nearly unanimously in 1996 When HIPAA was considered.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act passed Congres nearly unanimously in 1996 When HIPAA was considered, the focus of attention was portability. Little or no attention was paid to the statutory provisions relating to "accountability"--fraud curb for those unfamiliar with inside-the-beltway euphemisms. Ironically enough, the expanse to which these ends were accomplished transfered out be the inverse of the attention that was paid to them. The portability provisions have had relatively little impact in succession the portability of health care benefits, while the drive for accountability has springed in an unprecedented number of civil and criminal enforcement actions; the transfer