I wondered if this might be the case. Lifer, you saw the word "portability" and jumped to the conclusion that this means no pre-existing condition exclusions. It doesn't. You have to read the rest of the words in those sentences........
Hodja is right, HIPPA primarily is about the privacy of medical records and restrictions on how they can be handled, transmitted & shared. In this case, "portability" refers to the transfer of one's medical records from one treating physician to another, between insurance companies who could share your medical records in any way they wanted, and the strict rules around revealing private medical information without the expressed & written consent of the patient.
My part in this is concluded...... until you get those legal citations & case law for us.....