How does HIPAA’s privacy regulation interact with other laws?

HIPAA's privacy regulation is designed to enhance the protections afforded by many existing state laws. Stronger state laws and other federal laws continue to apply, so the federal regulation provides a national base of privacy protections.

The privacy rules are not intended to conflict with an employer's obligation under other laws, such as OSHA, FMLA, workers' compensation, and alcohol and drug-free workplace laws. Employers will need to distinguish between health plan information it maintains as an employer from health information it maintains as a covered entity to determine its obligations.