Friday, September 09, 2011
Summary of Health Benefits Mandate Detailed
Federal agencies (IRS, DOL, and HHS) recently published 56 pages of regulations and attachments to detail standards for a simplified Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC) for health benefit plans. The SBC must be a stand-alone document, not exceed 4 pages (double-sided) in length, use at least a 12-point font, be “culturally and linguistically appropriate”, and be provided for each type of health plan (PPO, HMO, etc.).
No later than March 23, 2012, group health plans and health insurers (including grandfathered plans) must: (1) provide plan participants with a short SBC prior to enrollment and upon request; and (2) notify participants at least 60 days in advance of any material modifications to the terms of plan coverage. See the regs here. Contact Ron Wineholt for further information at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
