CMS Issues 2017 Benefit And Payment Parameters Rule And Letter To Issuers In The Federally Facilitated Marketplaces

Implementing Health Reform. On February 29, 2016, the Department of Health and Human Services released its final 2017 Benefit and Payment Parameters Rule (with fact sheet) and final 2017 Letter to Issuers in the Federally Facilitated Marketplaces (FFMs). It also released a bulletin on rate filings for individual and small group non-grandfathered plans during 2016, a frequently asked questions document on the 2017 moratorium on the health insurance provider fee recently adopted by Congress, and a bulletin announcing that CMS intends to allow transitional (grandmothered) policies to continue (if states permit it) through December 31, 2017, rather than requiring them to terminate by October 1, 2017, as earlier announced. I analyzed the notice or proposed rulemaking (NPRM) payment rule when it was issued in November and the draft letter to issuers when it was released in December. The final payment rule and letter include most of the provisions proposed earlier, but differ in important respects. I will be analyzing the final rule and letter in detail over the next couple of days, but now offer a few headlines, focusing on issues of particular interest to health insurance consumers. Standardized Plans To begin, the final rule and letter adopt with a few changes proposals regarding standardized plans. Beginning in 2017, qualified health plan insurers would have the option of offering six standardized plans: a bronze, a gold, and a standard silver, as well as three silver plan opti...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - Category: Health Management Authors: Tags: Following the ACA Insurance and Coverage Source Type: blogs