n February 3, 2020, the DOL, HHS, and the Department of the Treasury issued two FAQs concerning the application of recent updates to SBC materials.
These agencies are charged with developing standards that group health plans and health insurance issuers can apply when compiling and providing SBCs to plan participants in accordance with the ACA. On November 7, 2019, updates to the SBC template, coverage examples calculator, guide, and narratives for coverage examples were released.
The first FAQ states that group health plans and health insurance issuers must use these updated materials beginning on the first day of the first open enrollment period for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2021.
The second FAQ clarifies that using the calculator is not mandatory. It is a tool to help group health plans and health insurance issuers to generate the estimated out-of-pocket costs that a consumer can expect to pay under the plan for the coverage examples on the SBC. The calculator makes several assumptions that may not apply to particular plans or policy designs, so the agencies allow the plans and issuers to create their own calculators or to modify the calculator as necessary. However, plans and issuers can use the calculator even when they could develop more accurate methods for generating coverage examples, because it retains its status as a safe harbor.
Employers should be aware of the 2021 updates to SBC materials, their application, and when they must be applied.
2021 Updates to the SBC Template, Calculator, Guide and Narratives »