For plan years beginning on or after Jan.1, 2014, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) prohibits group health plans and issuers from imposing pre-existing condition exclusions (PCEs) on any enrollees. Currently, ACA prohibits PCEs for enrollees who are under 19 years of age. ACA’s restrictions on PCEs apply to both grandfathered and non-grandfathered plans. Until ACA’s full prohibition on PCEs takes effect in 2014, the HIPAA rules regarding PCEs will continue to apply. HIPAA currently allows plans and issuers to exclude pre-existing conditions from coverage, but places significant limitations on those exclusions. For example, the length of any PCE must be reduced by the amount of creditable coverage the individual had prior to enrollment in the plan. An individual’s prior creditable coverage is documented. Read Full Newsletter