If you read the sibling comment where Spooky23 cites the HHS page on HIPAA, it might be worth ruminating on that versus your interpretation of why your company's lawyers lay out the training in the way that they do.
That they have a different company risk profile doesn't necessarily change the facts at hand. And, TBH, they don't have to tell you the truth if it helps achieve their immediate goals. (They can tell you you'd be personally and criminally liable. It might make you do what they want better. It might also not be true.) Or it may all be in good faith. But what you describe doesn't square with anything I've ever worked with, at multiple clients and employers.
