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 Federal
Laws that Affect Your Health Care
Needs and Financial Responsibility
HPPA
- Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act of 1996
MMA
- Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement,
and Modernization Act of 2003
ERISA
- Employee Retirement Income Security
Act
COBRA
- Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation
Act
HEALTH
INSURANCE PORTABILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY
ACT OF 1996 (HPPA)
To amend the Internal Revenue
Code of 1986 to improve portability
and continuity of health insurance
coverage in the group and individual
markets, to combat waste, fraud,
and abuse in health insurance and
health care delivery, to promote
the use of medical savings accounts,
to improve access to long-term care
services and coverage, to simplify
the administration of health insurance,
and for other purposes. [ full act ]
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act:
MEDICARE
PRESCRIPTION DRUG, IMPROVEMENT,
AND MODERNIZATION ACT OF 2003 (MMA)
To amend
title XVIII of the Social Security
Act to provide for a voluntary program
for prescription drug coverage under
the Medicare Program, to modernize
the Medicare Program, to amend the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to
allow a deduction to individuals
for amounts contributed to health
savings security accounts and health
savings accounts, to provide for
the disposition of unused health
benefits in cafeteria plans and
flexible spending arrangements,
and for other purposes.
[ due
to size the of the full act it is
only available in one of the two
formats below ]
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act (435 pages):
EMPLOYEE
RETIREMENT INCOME SECURITY ACT (ERISA)
Benefit plans as affecting interstate
commerce and the Federal taxing
power
The Congress finds that the
growth in size, scope, and numbers
of employee benefit plans in recent
years has been rapid and substantial;
that the operational scope and economic
impact of such plans is increasingly
interstate; that the continued well-being
and security of millions of employees
and their dependents are directly
affected by these plans; that they
are affected with a national public
interest; that they have become
an important factor affecting the
stability of employment and the
successful development of industrial
relations; that they have become
an important factor in commerce
because of the interstate character
of their activities, and of the
activities of their participants,
and the employers, employee organizations,
and other entities by which they
are established or maintained; that
a large volume of the activities
of such plans are carried on by
means of the mails and instrumentalities
of interstate commerce; that owing
to the lack of employee information
and adequate safeguards concerning
their operation, it is desirable
in the interests of employees and
their beneficiaries, and to provide
for the general welfare and the
free flow of commerce, that disclosure
be made and safeguards be provided
with respect to the establishment,
operation, and administration of
such plans; that they substantially
affect the revenues of the United
States [ full
act (1 Meg) ]
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act: (181 pages)
CONSOLIDATED
OMNIBUS BUDGET RECONCILIATION ACT
(COBRA)
The Consolidated Omnibus Budget
Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA)
added health care continuation requirements
that apply to group health plans.
Coverage required to be provided
under those requirements is referred
to as COBRA continuation coverage.
Proposed regulations interpreting
the COBRA continuation coverage
requirements were published in the
Federal Register of June 15, 1987
and of January 7, 1998. This document
contains final regulations based
on these two sets of proposed regulations.
The final regulations also reflect
statutory amendments to the COBRA
continuation coverage requirements
since COBRA was enacted. A new set
of proposed regulations addressing
additional issues under the COBRA
continuation coverage provisions
is being published elsewhere in
this issue of the Federal Register.
The regulations will generally affect
sponsors of and participants in
group health plans, and they provide
plan sponsors and plan administrators
with guidance necessary to comply
with the law. [ full
act ]
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act: (42 pages)
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