SIIA Meets With HHS and DOL Officials to Discuss Self-Insurance Studies

January 7, 2011 – A delegation of SIIA members and lobbyists met yesterday with a combined group of senior HHS and DOL representatives tasked with preparing separate studies on self-insured health care plans as mandated by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).

The DOL-produced study is intended to assess the financial solvency of self-insured health plans generally, while HHS is looking to compare self-insured health plans with fully insured plans and to determine the extent to which new insurance market reforms are likely to cause adverse selection in the large group market or to encourage small and midsized employers to self-insure.

Both reports are scheduled to be published by the end of March and will be referred to committees of jurisdiction in the House and Senate, which could prompt future legislation affecting self-insurance.

“We feel the meeting was very productive as we were able to effectively respond to several specific questions posed by regulators dealing with how self-insured health plans operate,” said SIIA Chief Operating Officer Mike Ferguson. “We look forward to the opportunity of participating further with the HHS and DOL on the development of these reports to ensure that self-insurance is evaluated accurately.”

Watch for additional updates from SIIA on this developing story. This topic will also be addressed as part of the association’s Legislative/Regulatory Update webinar, scheduled for February 2, as well as at its Legislative/Regulatory Conference, scheduled for March 14-16, 2011 in Washington, DC.

Registration information for both of these educational opportunities can be accessed on-line at www.siia.org, or by calling 800/851-7789.