The Biden Administration recently announced five proposals to advance various health care reform priorities.
First, the Administration will release an Executive Order that allows the IRS to fix the “family glitch” that prohibited family members of people with employer-sponsored health insurance from accessing ACA marketplace credits. Second, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will amend the definition of “short-term plans” that do not comply with ACA standards so that these plans do not undermine the ACA’s coverage and patient protection goals. Third, HHS will propose a new ACA Section 1557 rule to reverse a Trump Administration rule curtailing non-discrimination protection for transgender individuals and people seeking language services. Fourth, HHS will prioritize greater access to contraception in the ACA by amending the final rule that the Trump Administration had promulgated to accommodate moral and religious exemptions. Finally, HHS will work with the Department of Labor to promote compliance with the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act and the Consolidated Appropriations Act (2021) through a new proposed rule.