In This Issue:

Leading the News: the Regs are Out!; Implementation of the Affordable Care Act; Other HHS and Federal Regulatory Initiatives; Other Congressional and State Initiatives; Other Health Care News; and Hearings and Mark-Ups Scheduled.

- Excerpt from Leading the News: the Regs are Out!

On November 20th HHS released several widely-anticipated rules implementing high-profile provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). These includes rules including making it illegal for health insurance companies to discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions, allowing insurance companies to only vary premiums within limits, and stating that insurers would only be able to vary premiums based on age, tobacco use, family size, and geography. One of the other rules also promotes increased wellness programs to control health care spending, and a third rule identifies services, known as essential health benefits (EHB), that must be covered under core plans. The EHB comment period ends on December 26th, and states have until the end of this comment period to select an EHB package.

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