Agencies issue final rule for health plan benefit summaries

The Departments of Treasury, Labor and Health and Human Services late Friday issued a final rule updating disclosure requirements for the Summary of Benefits and Coverage issued by group and individual health plans under the Affordable Care Act. Effective 60 days after publication in tomorrow’s Federal Register, the changes mainly seek to reduce duplication and increase electronic/internet access to the summaries, glossary and full benefit information. The rule delays finalizing proposed changes to the SBC template, glossary and associated documents. As recommended by the AHA, the agencies have asked the National Association of Insurance Commissioners to convene a broad group of stakeholders and provide synthesized stakeholder input to the agencies. The agencies expect to conduct consumer testing on the updated tools before finalizing the SBC template and updated glossary later this year for coverage that starts in 2017, providing the extra year AHA recommended to implement SBC format changes for health plans offered in the individual market, including those offered through the federal marketplaces.