Privacy Statement

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires the Operating Engineers Health and Welfare Fund to protect the confidentiality of your private health information. A complete description of your rights under HIPAA can be found in the Fund’s Privacy Notice which was given to you when you first became eligible and is available from the Fund Office. This statement does not represent the Fund’s Privacy Notice.

This Fund and the Fund Sponsor, will not use or further disclose information that is protected by HIPAA (protected health information) except as necessary for treatment, payment, health care operations and as required by a governmental agency. In particular, the Fund will not, without your written authorization, use or disclose protected health information for employment-related actions and decisions or in connection with any other benefit or employee benefit plan of the Fund Sponsor.

The Fund also hires professionals and other companies to assist in providing health care benefits. The Fund has required those entities, called “Business Associates,” to observe HIPAA’s privacy rules. In some cases, you may receive a separate notice from one of the Fund’s Business Associates. It will describe your rights with respect to benefits provided by that company.

Under HIPAA, you have certain rights with respect to your protected health information, including certain rights to see and copy the information, receive an accounting of certain disclosers of the information and, under certain circumstances, amend the information. You have the right to request reasonable restrictions on disclosure of information about you. You also have the right to file a complaint with the Fund or with the Secretary of Health and Human Services if you believe your rights have been violated.

The Fund maintains a Privacy Notice that provides a complete description of your rights under HIPAA’s privacy rules. For a copy of that Notice or if you have questions about the privacy of your health information or if you wish to file a complaint about a privacy issue, please contact the Fund Office and ask for the Privacy Official. The Privacy Notice is also available on the Plan’s website at www.oefi.org.