Summaries of Benefits and Coverage: Another Year of Eased Enforcement

In ACA Frequently Asked Questions Part XIX, issued on May 2, 2014, the Departments of Labor, Treasury and Health and Human Services (Departments) have extended transition relief with regard to Summaries of Benefits and Coverage (SBCs) for another year.  Specifically, relief that the Departments first issued in April 2013 (and which is summarized in this prior post) will continue to apply for plan years starting on or after January 1, 2015, and until such time as the Department of Labor issues further guidance.

Plan sponsors (which include insurers and employers with self-funded group health plans) have been required to provide SBCs during open enrollments beginning on or after September 23, 2012, (and at other specified intervals) making 2013 the “first year of applicability” for SBC duties.  For 2015, the third such year, and until further notice, plan sponsors may continue to use the SBC and glossary templates published in April 2013 (with minor changes including deletion of a now obsolete reference to annual limits on essential health benefits (EHB)).

In addition, the Departments will maintain an overall emphasis on cooperation with plan sponsors over SBC duties, rather than penalty enforcement, provided that the plan sponsor has worked “diligently and in good faith” to fulfill SBC duties on its own.  (Penalties would apply only in the case of “willful” failure to provide required SBC information, in any event.)

Lastly the Departments will continue to apply previously issued enforcement and transition relief , including the following (not an exhaustive list):

• Not requiring SBCs with regard to Medicare Advantage plans;
• Not requiring SBCs with regard to expatriate health plans;
• Not requiring SBCs for “carve out” benefit arrangements (such as through pharmacy benefit managers and behavioral health organizations) where the outside vendor has contracted to provide the SBCs, and where the sponsor or insurer monitors for vendor compliance and is either unaware of any noncompliance or identifies and corrects noncompliance);
• Safe harbors for providing SBCs to participants and beneficiaries electronically, including in connection with online enrollment or online renewal of coverage, or in response to requests for copies made online.  Specifically:
  • SBCs may be provided electronically as part of online enrollment or online renewal of coverage under a group health plan, and in response to an online request for an SBC, provided that the individual has the option to receive a paper copy of the SBC upon request.  Similar rules apply to carriers in the individual market.

Transition relief of this type continues to be a welcome relief to employers and other plan sponsors.