Which of the following best describes the main purpose of HIPAA?

The main purpose of HIPAA, or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, is to maintain patient confidentiality and manage health information effectively. This legislation was established to protect patients' privacy by setting national standards for managing personal health information (PHI). It ensures that sensitive patient data is handled securely, limiting access to authorized individuals and mandating that healthcare entities take necessary precautions to safeguard patient information.

While other choices reference important aspects of healthcare, such as government oversight, standardization of payment systems, or expanding insurance coverage, they do not encapsulate the core mission of HIPAA. The act specifically emphasizes the protection of individual health information and establishing protocols to guarantee this confidentiality, making it the central focus of the legislation.