According to HIPAA, when an insured individual leaves an employer and immediately begins working for a new company that offers group health insurance, the individual

• A. is eligible for coverage upon hire
• B. must wait 3 months
• C. is ineligible for coverage
• D. must provide proof of insurability

Answer: (A)

HIPAA allows portability between employer-sponsored group health plans, so you can enroll in a new employer’s plan on the hire date if you’ve had prior creditable coverage and there isn’t a long gap in coverage. In this scenario, the person leaves one job and immediately starts with a new company that offers group coverage, so there’s no break in coverage to trigger a waiting period, and the new plan must enroll them upon hire. This means they are eligible for coverage right away. Proof of insurability isn’t required to enroll in a group plan under HIPAA, which is why the option about needing proof of insurability isn’t correct. The other choices imply a waiting period or ineligibility, which HIPAA does not apply in this situation when there’s continuous creditable coverage.