Kate Bongiovanni

Plain language and approachable design are two goals of the new model HIPAA notices.

Regulations outline the Affordable Care Act’s contraceptive mandate.

Federal agencies release a slew of health care reform FAQs.

The Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and the Treasury released proposed regulations on how religious organizations should apply the contraceptive coverage requirements under PPACA, alleviating some concerns religious organizations had previously expressed.

Health-contingent wellness programs can increase incentives for quitting tobacco use.

IRS guidance clarifies changes to flexible spending account rules.

In April, the Internal Revenue Service issued proposed regulations on collecting fees from health insurance issuers and self-insured group health plan sponsors for establishing the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Trust Fund, as required under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The fund provides funding for a new Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. PPACA requires the Institute to conduct research to evaluate and compare health outcomes and the clinical effectiveness, risks, and benefits of medical treatments, services, procedures, drugs and other strategies or items that treat, manage, diagnose or prevent illness or injury.

On March 19, the Departments of Labor, Treasury, and Health and Human Services jointly issued FAQs addressing the new summary of benefits and coverage requirement under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Although the agencies released final regulations only a few weeks prior, the FAQs provide additional guidance and clarification.

In February, the Departments of Labor, Treasury, and Health and Human Services issued final regulations implementing the new summary of benefits and coverage requirement under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The agencies also released a separate document providing additional guidance on the SBC requirement, which includes a template for the summary, instructions, sample language, a guide for coverage example calculations and the uniform glossary.

On January 3, 2012, the Internal Revenue Service issued Notice 2012-9 which provides clarifying and additional guidance on the requirement that employers report the cost of employer-provided health coverage on employees' Forms W-2, as required under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Earlier this year, the Department of Health and Human Services issued proposed regulations under the privacy rule of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. The proposed regulations address the changes to the accounting requirement under the HIPAA privacy rule, pursuant to the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act. The regulations also create a new requirement that covered entities - health plans, health care clearinghouses and health care providers - provide an access report to individuals upon request.

The one-year anniversary of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has come and gone, and federal agencies continue to issue clarifying guidance on several of its provisions, including the grandfathered health plan rules and the requirement to report the cost of employer-provided health coverage on employees' Forms W-2.

In February, the Health and Human Services Department issued proposed regulations addressing the impact of health care reform on student health insurance coverage. The proposed regulations classify student health insurance coverage as a type of "individual health insurance coverage."

It appears that employers can be optimistic that federal agencies are reviewing and considering their public comments on regulatory guidance under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

In November 2010, the Departments of Health and Human Services, Treasury, and Labor provided some relief to employers sponsoring fully insured group health plans by amending the interim final rules on grandfathered plan status under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.