What does HIPAA primarily aim to protect?

HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, primarily aims to protect the privacy and security of individuals' medical and health-related information. The focus is on safeguarding personal health information (PHI), which encompasses various types of data, including psychological records, medical history, and treatment information. Therefore, the protection of client psychological records aligns directly with the core objectives of HIPAA to ensure confidentiality, security, and privacy of sensitive health information, thus granting individuals control over their health information and establishing standards for the electronic exchange of this data.

In contrast, the other options refer to types of records that do not fall under the scope of HIPAA. Client financial records may be protected under different regulations and laws. Employment records typically relate to workplace issues and are covered by laws concerning labor and employment, not HIPAA. Client academic records are protected under FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act), which governs educational information rather than health information.