HHS revealed a sample of insurance forms Wednesday that private payers will have to mimic as part of health reform to help customers understand and choose their coverage, according to an HHS news release.
The forms are part of a set of proposed rules, not set would not take effect until 2012, that would have payers provide literature to currently enrolled and window-shopping customers outlining benefit plans in plain language as well as offer a standardized glossary of commonly used terms like “copay” and “deductible,” without fine print (text is not to be smaller than 12-pt. font).
The summary of benefits will also include “coverage examples” similar in style to cereal box Nutrition Facts labels, illustrating the different proportions of expenses the health plan would cover for having a baby, treating breast cancer and managing diabetes. Additional conditions could be added in the future.
“[These] examples will help consumers understand and compare their share of the costs of care under a particular policy or plan, and see how valuable the health plan will be at times when they need the coverage,” the release states.
You can find out more on the proposed changes at: http://www.healthcare.gov/news/factsheets/labels08172011a.html and Summary of Benefits and Coverage and Uniform Glossary (PDF -385 KB).