DOL Delays Uniform Summary of Benefits

In November the Department of Labor (DOL) provided a welcome delay in the implementation of the new Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC) Rules contained in the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  Earlier in the year, proposed regulations and some sample templates had been published.  The regulatory agencies collected public comments on the proposed regulations through October. During the comment period there was significant concern expressed by both health insurance carriers and employers about the short timeframe before the requirement was scheduled to go into effect.

 In response to these concerns, the DOL has stated that carriers and plans will not be required to provide the SBC until after final regulations are issued. The announcement also states the actual effective date of the SBC rules will be announced in the final regulations and "the final regulations...will include an applicability date that gives group health plans and health insurance issuers sufficient time to comply".

Final regulations are expected soon. However, based on the DOL statement, it is anticipated that there will be a significant period of time provided after the rules are released to allow health plans and employers to implement the necessary changes.