Departments Issue Implementation FAQs Part 59 Explaining Coverage of Preventive Care

The Departments of Labor (DOL), Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Treasury (the Departments) jointly released FAQs regarding implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act intended to help people understand the coverage of preventive services. These FAQs provide initial guidance on how the decision in the recent court case of Braidwood Management Inc. v. Becerra (Braidwood) affects the requirement to cover preventive services without cost sharing under the Public Health Service (PHS) Act section 2713.

The nine FAQs address:

• The coverage of preventive services without cost-sharing requirements for non-grandfathered group health plans and health insurance issuers offering non-grandfathered group or individual health insurance coverage,
• High deductible health plans continuing to provide benefits for preventive services before the minimum annual deductible has been met, and
• The coverage of qualifying coronavirus preventive service without cost-sharing requirements for non-grandfathered group health plans and health insurance issuers offering non-grandfathered group or individual health insurance coverage.
  

In addition, the Departments anticipate issuing additional guidance in the future to further address plans' and issuers' obligations.