Q&A: Health insurance user portals on shared policies

Q: What information does HIPAA allow to be shared on a health insurance user portal if multiple family members are on the same policy? Should all individuals on the policy have separate user accounts?

A: Family members may share whatever information they agree to on a health insurance user portal. Generally, a parent will be covering minor children under his or her health insurance policy, and parents have the right to access the PHI of their minor children. If a spouse or adult child is covered under the insured’s policy, the spouse or adult child should give written permission for PHI access to the insured person, or the spouse or adult child should have a separate user account.

Editor's note: This question was answered by Mary Brandt. Brandt is a healthcare consultant specializing in healthcare regulatory compliance and operations improvement. She is also an advisory board member for BOH. This information does not constitute legal advice. Consult legal counsel for answers to specific privacy and security questions. Opinions expressed are those of the author and do not represent HCPro or ACDIS. Email your HIPAA questions to Associate Editor Heidi Samuelson at hsamuelson@hcpro.com.