Health Plans to Use New SBC Template Beginning April 2017 

To provide the Affordable Care Act's summary of benefits and coverage (SBC), health plans will have an updated final template and related materials to use beginning with open-enrollment periods after March 31, 2017, according to a new triagency FAQ. This means calendar-year group health plans will use the new SBC materials during fall 2017 open enrollment for the 2018 plan year.

The latest proposed SBC materials, issued for public comment last month, incorporate some modifications to the current models. The new FAQ says regulators plan to review feedback and "expeditiously" finalize the updates once the comment period closes March 28. The new SBC materials will apply for the first annual open-enrollment period starting on or after April 1, 2017, for a plan year beginning on or after that date. Plans that don't hold annual open enrollment will have to use the revised SBC materials starting with the first plan year that begins on or after April 1, 2017.