# Business type and HIPAA

> How your business category shapes Airhug's wording, pricing and data handling, which categories turn HIPAA compliance on, and how to change it.

Source: https://docs.airhug.ai/setup/business-type-and-hipaa
Last updated: 2026-09-29

At setup you choose a **category** and then the **type of business** (a subcategory) that fits best. There are 26 categories and about 150 types. This choice does three things.

1. **Wording.** The AI and the app use the right words for your customers: patient, customer, client, and so on. A plumber is not asked for a patient's date of birth.
2. **Suggestions.** Services, common questions, paperwork and follow-ups start from what businesses like yours use.
3. **HIPAA compliance.** Healthcare categories turn it on. Everything else leaves it off.

## Categories with HIPAA compliance on

| Category |
| --- |
| Aesthetics and med spa |
| Care at home and senior care |
| Dental and vision |
| Health admin, billing and staffing |
| Medical |
| Mental health |
| Rehab and bodywork (including massage) |
| Other health services |
| **Other** (see below) |

## Categories with HIPAA compliance off

Automotive, beauty and personal care, construction, architecture and engineering, creative, design and media, education and childcare, finance and insurance, fitness and recreation, food, hospitality and events, home services, legal, nonprofit, faith and community, personal and family services, pets and veterinary, professional and technology services, real estate and property, retail and e-commerce, transportation and logistics.

> [!NOTE]
> **Other** turns HIPAA on because Airhug fails closed: if it cannot tell whether you handle health information, it protects the data as if you do. Choose a closer category if you are not in healthcare. You will see this explained on the plan screen.

## What HIPAA compliance changes

| | HIPAA off (standard) | HIPAA on (healthcare) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Standard plan prices | Healthcare plan prices (Starter $199, Business $499 per month). See [plans](https://docs.airhug.ai/billing/plans.md). |
| AI and data providers | Direct AI providers and standard telephony | Providers covered by a signed Business Associate Agreement. See [security and privacy](https://docs.airhug.ai/help/security-and-privacy.md). |
| Phone calls | Twilio | See [HIPAA phone calls](https://docs.airhug.ai/channels/hipaa-phone.md) |
| Unpaid accounts | Call details are hidden until you pay. See [AI tokens](https://docs.airhug.ai/billing/ai-tokens.md). | Call details are never hidden. You see an upgrade banner only. |
| Security | The same | The same. Standard workspaces are not less secure. |

## Changing your category

- **Only the workspace owner** can change the category.
- Moving into a healthcare category turns HIPAA on and moves your subscription to the healthcare price. The price difference is invoiced immediately, and the plan renews at the new price. If the charge fails, nothing changes.
- **HIPAA compliance is one-way in the app.** You cannot turn it off yourself. Support can turn it off only when the owner asks in writing, the business is not a covered entity or business associate, and the workspace holds no patient information. Email [hello@airhug.ai](mailto:hello@airhug.ai) to ask.
- If you are unsure which category applies, choose the healthcare one. It is easier to have protection you did not need than to lack it.