In a national survey conducted by APCO Insight between March 7 and March 26, a majority of those interviewed (54 percent) said they were not familiar with the regulation and the April 14 deadline that most employers have for compliance.

Further, 73 percent of the public said they have not yet received notification about the new regulations requiring health plans to protect medical information about employees.

The survey also found men significantly less aware of the regulation - 58 percent of them compared to 50 percent of women. Further, the level of awareness increases with the level of education, with only 37 percent of those completing some high school being aware, as opposed to 49 percent of those with a post-graduate degree.

Likewise, income proved relevant, with only 38 percent of the population making between $20,000-$40,000/year aware of the regulations, as opposed to 55 percent of those making more than $80,000/year.

The newly implemented HIPAA regulations are designed to increase the efficiencies of the U.S. healthcare system. They do this by mandating the standardized electronic transmission of certain claims-related information. The new regulatory scheme also requires significant new privacy requirements .

These requirements, including the privacy requirements, will affect almost every employer offering health benefits.

"As employers race to meet the upcoming compliance deadline, it is clear that more work needs to be done," said Lisa Murphy, co-author of the HIPAA Privacy Workbook for Group Health Plans and Equity Owner, Miller & Chevalier. "Although companies with smaller health plans may have an extension on the deadline, many employers must become compliant in this short timeframe, and many employers may not be fully aware of the complex requirements."

The APCO Insight survey was conducted among 1,078 randomly selected adults, 18 years or older between March 7-26, 2003. The APCO Insight poll has an overall margin of error of +/- 3.0 percent.