Effective January 1, 2015, group health plans and insurers are no longer required to issue a certificate of creditable coverage (“HIPAA Certificate”) to individuals who lost group health plan coverage. (See final regulations here). As a reminder, HIPAA Certificates were used by individuals to prove that they had continuous health coverage under a prior health plan in order to offset a preexisting condition exclusion period under a new health plan. In light of the fact that the Affordable Care Act outlawed preexisting condition exclusions, there no longer is a need for such certificates.
