HHS To Use Department of Labor Survey To Help Set ‘Essential Benefits’
On Friday, the Department of Labor on Friday released a survey mandated by the federal health reform law on 12 medical benefits of employer-sponsored coverage, The Hill's "Healthwatch" reports.
The survey is intended to help HHS determine what constitutes "essential health benefits" under the overhaul.
The survey includes information on how frequently employers cover or exclude certain benefits, and which limits are imposed. HHS will use the survey, along with a report from the Institute of Medicine scheduled to be released in September, to support their decisions.
The 12 medical benefits covered in the survey are:
- Ambulance services;
- Diabetes care management;
- Durable medical equipment;
- Emergency department visits;
- Gynecological exams and services;
- Infertility treatment;
- Kidney dialysis;
- Physical therapy;
- Prosthetics;
- Maternity care;
- Organ and tissue transplants; and
- Sterilization (Pecquet, "Healthwatch," The Hill, 4/15).