Why doesn’t HIPAA apply to a SOH for life insurance?
I doubt the average person on this board even knows what HIPAA is, but fortunately for you, I do HIPAA consulting among other things as part of my job. The answer is right in the first two letters of HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.)
HEALTH INSURANCE is not the same thing as LIFE INSURANCE and the latter is not regulated by the law.
I can fully understand your confusion, however, because the life insurance SOH will have protected health information (PHI) on it. If you have other questions about HIPAA, I strongly advise you post them on a more specialized site.
http://www.hipaalive.com is a great daily e-mail and listserv where you can post the most esoteric questions and others will help you get an answer.