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Member, Beacon International Group, Ltd.
WASHINGTON—The number of one-year waivers from annual dollar limits to health insurance plans has continued to rise, as the Department of Health and Human Services reported 129 new approvals that brought the total to 1,168 at the end of March.
Last year's Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act prohibits plans from imposing annual dollar limits on benefits beginning in 2014. Until then, insurers can phase out the use of annual limits, and HHS regulations last June said plans may not limit coverage for benefits to less than $750,000 from September 2010 until September 2011. This generally applies to limited-benefit, or so-called mini-med plans.
On its website, HHS reported that of the waivers granted so far, more than 95% were granted to employment-related plans, and that the number of enrollees in plans with annual-limits waivers is 2.93 million, which the agency said represents less than 2% of all Americans who have private health insurance.
This issue has been a controversial one on Capitol Hill, as Republicans have questioned the fairness of the waiver process, and suggested it is proof that the health reform law is flawed.
Jessica Zigmond is a reporter for Modern Healthcare, a sister publication of Business Insurance.
WASHINGTONFederal regulators have approved 94% of requestsmainly from sponsors of “mini-med” and other limited benefit plansfor waivers from having to meet a key requirement of the health care reform law, according to information released in conjunction with a congressional hearing.