This brief explains the proposed federal rule that requires private health plans
to provide a short, easy-to-read uniform summary of benefits and coverage to all
health insurance applicants and enrollees. The rule, which implements a
provision in the Affordable Care Act (ACA), is intended to make it simpler for
consumers to compare health plans before they enroll and understand their
coverage once they are enrolled. Currently, consumers in employer-sponsored
plans receive summaries of their benefits, but in many cases they’re written in
complex, technical language and can be 100 pages long.
The brief details
what must be included in the summary of benefits and coverage and how the
information must be presented to consumers. The brief also discusses the
potential costs to insurers and third-party administrators for implementing the
regulation and the benefits to consumers of having more understandable,
standardized information about their health coverage.
Issue Brief (.pdf)
