HIPAA eligible individual

Your status once you have had 18 months of continuous creditable health coverage. To be HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) eligible, at least the last day of your creditable coverage must have been under a group health plan; you also must have used up any COBRA or state continuation coverage; you must not be eligible for Medicare or Medicaid; you must not have other health insurance; and you must apply for individual health insurance within 63 days of losing your prior creditable coverage. When you're buying individual health insurance, HIPAA eligibility gives you greater protections than you would otherwise have under state law.