What entities typically serve as examples of covered entities?

Covered entities under HIPAA are defined as health care providers who transmit any health information in electronic form in connection with a HIPAA transaction, health plans, and healthcare clearinghouses. Insurance companies, doctors, and billing services directly engage in the transmission, processing, or management of protected health information (PHI) and thus fit this definition perfectly.

Insurance companies provide health plans and manage data related to patient coverage, while healthcare providers such as doctors deliver direct medical care and manage patient records. Billing services handle the financial transactions related to healthcare services, which often include PHI as well. All of these entities are crucial in the healthcare ecosystem and have specific obligations under HIPAA to protect patient information.

In contrast, the other options do not qualify as covered entities under HIPAA. Food and beverage companies do not deal with protected health information in the context of healthcare delivery or administrative operations related to healthcare. Federal agencies involved in public health may interact with health data but are not classified as covered entities in the traditional sense under HIPAA. Lastly, while individuals providing any form of healthcare might tangentially deal with health information, not all are considered covered entities unless they meet the specific criteria set forth in HIPAA regulations. Thus, option B correctly identifies covered entities as those