Consumer Advocates, Organizations Push for Faster SBC Implementation

In a November 9 letter to the Deputy White House Chief Of Staff, Deputy Assistant to the President for Health Policy and Director of the National Economic Council, a number of American health care consumers, health care practitioners and consumer advocates urged a prompt, effective implementation of the Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC).

Under the Affordable Care Act, SBC requires health insurers and group health plans to provide consumers with a concise document detailing, in plain language, simple and consistent information about health plan benefits and coverage. This SBC document will help consumers better understand the coverage they have and, for the first time, allow them to easily compare different coverage options, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. It will summarize the key features of the plan or coverage, such as the covered benefits, cost-sharing provisions, and coverage limitations and exceptions. Specifically, the proposed regulations would provide consumers with two forms that include: An easy to understand Summary of Benefits and Coverage, and an uniform glossary of terms commonly used in health insurance coverage such as "deductible" and "co-pay"