Reducing Regulatory Burdens Imposed by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act & Improving Healthcare Choices To Empower Patients, 26885-26887 [2017-12130]
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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 111 / Monday, June 12, 2017 / Proposed Rules
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A. Executive Order 12866: Regulatory
Planning and Review and Executive
Order 13563: Improving Regulation and
Regulatory Review
This action is not a significant
regulatory action and was therefore not
submitted to the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) for review.
B. Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA)
This action does not impose an
information collection burden under the
PRA because this action does not
impose additional requirements beyond
those imposed by state law.
C. Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA)
I certify that this action will not have
a significant economic impact on a
substantial number of small entities
under the RFA. This action will not
impose any requirements on small
entities beyond those imposed by state
law.
D. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act
(UMRA)
This action does not contain any
unfunded mandate as described in
UMRA, 2 U.S.C. 1531–1538, and does
not significantly or uniquely affect small
governments. This action does not
impose additional requirements beyond
those imposed by state law.
Accordingly, no additional costs to
State, local, or tribal governments, or to
the private sector, will result from this
action.
E. Executive Order 13132: Federalism
This action does not have federalism
implications. It will not have substantial
direct effects on the states, on the
relationship between the national
government and the states, or on the
distribution of power and
responsibilities among the various
levels of government.
asabaliauskas on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with PROPOSALS
F. Executive Order 13175: Coordination
With Indian Tribal Governments
This action does not have tribal
implications, as specified in Executive
Order 13175, because the SIP is not
approved to apply on any Indian
reservation land or in any other area
where the EPA or an Indian tribe has
demonstrated that a tribe has
jurisdiction, and will not impose
substantial direct costs on tribal
governments or preempt tribal law.
Thus, Executive Order 13175 does not
apply to this action.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:37 Jun 09, 2017
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G. Executive Order 13045: Protection of
Children From Environmental Health
Risks and Safety Risks
The EPA interprets Executive Order
13045 as applying only to those
regulatory actions that concern
environmental health or safety risks that
the EPA has reason to believe may
disproportionately affect children, per
the definition of ‘‘covered regulatory
action’’ in section 2–202 of the
Executive Order. This action is not
subject to Executive Order 13045
because it does not impose additional
requirements beyond those imposed by
state law.
H. Executive Order 13211: Actions That
Significantly Affect Energy Supply,
Distribution, or Use
This action is not subject to Executive
Order 13211, because it is not a
significant regulatory action under
Executive Order 12866.
I. National Technology Transfer and
Advancement Act (NTTAA)
Section 12(d) of the NTTAA directs
the EPA to use voluntary consensus
standards in its regulatory activities
unless to do so would be inconsistent
with applicable law or otherwise
impractical. The EPA believes that this
action is not subject to the requirements
of section 12(d) of the NTTAA because
application of those requirements would
be inconsistent with the CAA.
J. Executive Order 12898: Federal
Actions To Address Environmental
Justice in Minority Populations and
Low-Income Population
The EPA lacks the discretionary
authority to address environmental
justice in this rulemaking.
List of Subjects in 40 CFR Part 52
Environmental protection, Air
pollution control, Incorporation by
reference, Intergovernmental relations,
New Source Review, Ozone, Particulate
matter, Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements, Volatile organic
compounds.
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.
Dated: May 19, 2017.
Alexis Strauss,
Acting Regional Administrator, Region IX.
[FR Doc. 2017–12134 Filed 6–9–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
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26885
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services
42 CFR Chapter IV
Office of the Secretary
45 CFR Subtitle A
[CMS–9928–NC]
RIN 0938–ZB39
Reducing Regulatory Burdens
Imposed by the Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act & Improving
Healthcare Choices To Empower
Patients
Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS.
ACTION: Request for information.
AGENCY:
The Department of Health and
Human Services (HHS) is actively
working to reduce regulatory burdens
and improve health insurance options
under Title I of the Patient Protection
and Affordable Care Act. Executive
Order 13765, ‘‘Minimizing the
Economic Burden of the Patient
Protection and Affordable Care Act
Pending Repeal,’’ directs the Secretary
of Health and Human Services to
achieve these aims. HHS seeks comment
from interested parties to inform its
ongoing efforts to create a more patientcentered health care system that adheres
to the key principles of affordability,
accessibility, quality, innovation, and
empowerment.
SUMMARY:
Comments must be submitted on
or before July 12, 2017.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
in one of three ways (please choose only
one of the ways listed):
1. Electronically. You may submit
electronic comments to https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the
‘‘Submit a comment’’ instructions.
2. By regular mail. You may mail
written comments to the following
address ONLY: Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services, Department of
Health and Human Services, Attention:
CMS–9928–NC, P.O. Box 8016,
Baltimore, MD 21244–8016.
Please allow sufficient time for mailed
comments to be received before the
close of the comment period.
3. By express or overnight mail. You
may send written comments to the
following address ONLY: Centers for
Medicare & Medicaid Services,
Department of Health and Human
Services, Attention: CMS–9928–NC,
DATES:
E:\FR\FM\12JNP1.SGM
12JNP1
26886
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 111 / Monday, June 12, 2017 / Proposed Rules
Mail Stop C4–26–05, 7500 Security
Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21244–1850.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Vanessa Jones, (202) 690–7000.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Submission of Comments: All
submissions received must include the
Agency name CMS–9928–NC for this
notice. All comments received may be
posted without change to https://
www.regulations.gov, including any
personal information provided.
asabaliauskas on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with PROPOSALS
I. Background
On January 20, 2017, President Trump
issued Executive Order 13765,
‘‘Minimizing the Economic Burden of
the Patient Protection and Affordable
Care Act Pending Repeal,’’ to minimize
the unwarranted economic and
regulatory burdens of the Patient
Protection and Affordable Care Act
(PPACA) (Pub. L. 111–148). To meet
these objectives, the President directed
the Secretary of Health and Human
Services (the Secretary) and the heads of
all other executive departments and
agencies with authorities and
responsibilities under the PPACA, to the
maximum extent permitted by law, to
afford the States more flexibility and
control to create a more free and open
health care market; provide relief from
any provision or requirement of the
PPACA that would impose a fiscal
burden on any State or a cost, fee, tax,
penalty, or regulatory burden on
individuals, families, health care
providers, health insurers, patients,
recipients of health care services,
purchasers of health insurance, or
makers of medical devices, products, or
medications; provide greater flexibility
to States and cooperate with them in
implementing health care programs; and
encourage the development of a free and
open market in interstate commerce for
the offering of health care services and
health insurance, with the goal of
achieving and preserving maximum
options for patients and consumers.
The Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS) is the federal
government’s principal agency charged
with protecting the health of all
Americans and providing essential
human services. HHS’s responsibilities
include Medicare, Medicaid, increasing
access to care and private health
coverage, support for public health
preparedness and emergency response,
biomedical research, substance abuse
and mental health treatment and
prevention, assurance of safe and
effective drugs and other medical
products, protection of our Nation’s
food supply, assistance to low income
families, the Head Start program,
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:49 Jun 09, 2017
Jkt 241001
services to older Americans, and direct
health services delivery. HHS is
comprised of staff divisions and
operating divisions, many of which are
responsible for promulgating regulations
pursuant to HHS’s statutory authority.
Among HHS’s goals is to establish a
robust and resilient framework for each
HHS division to undertake a periodic,
thoughtful analysis of its significant
existing regulations issued under Title I
of the PPACA, to determine whether
each rule advances or impedes HHS
priorities of stabilizing the individual
and small group health insurance
markets; empowering patients and
promoting consumer choice; enhancing
affordability; and returning regulatory
authority to the States. We seek public
input on changes that could be made,
consistent with current law, to existing
regulations under HHS’s jurisdiction
that would result in a more streamlined,
flexible, and less burdensome regulatory
structure, including identifying
regulations that eliminate jobs or inhibit
job creation; are outdated, unnecessary,
or ineffective; impose costs that exceed
benefits; or create a serious
inconsistency or otherwise interfere
with regulatory reform initiatives and
policies.
Since the first weeks of the
Administration, HHS has worked to
reduce burdens and improve health
insurance options under the provisions
of Title I of the PPACA for which HHS
has jurisdiction. On February 17, 2017,
HHS published a proposed rule in the
Federal Register entitled, ‘‘Patient
Protection and Affordable Care Act;
Market Stabilization,’’ (82 FR 10980)
containing regulatory changes that are
critical to stabilizing the individual and
small group health insurance markets.
After receiving and considering public
comment, HHS published the Patient
Protection and Affordable Care Act;
Market Stabilization Final rule on April
18, 2017 (82 FR 18346). The new rules
will place downward pressure on
premiums, curb abuses, and encourage
full-year enrollment by expanding preenrollment verification of eligibility for
new exchange enrollees using special
enrollment periods; encourage patients
to avoid coverage lapses; provide greater
flexibility to issuers related to actuarial
value of plans; return to the States the
authority and means to assess issuer
network adequacy; revise the timeline
for qualified health plan (QHP)
certification and rate review to give
issuers flexibility to incorporate benefit
changes and maximize the number of
coverage options available to patients;
and more closely align the open
enrollment period for the individual
market with the employer-sponsored
PO 00000
Frm 00028
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
insurance market and Medicare, thus
helping to lower prices for Americans
by reducing adverse selection. We have
also taken a number of other steps to
reduce burden, improve choices, and
stabilize the insurance market:
• Issued guidance announcing HHS’s
intent to propose new health coverage
enrollment options for small businesses
enrolling through the Federallyfacilitated Small Business Health
Options Program (FF–SHOP), reducing
burdens and making it easier for small
employers and their employees to
purchase coverage.
• Announced a new streamlined and
simplified direct enrollment process for
consumers signing up for individual
market coverage with the assistance of
web-brokers or issuers in states with
Exchanges that rely on HealthCare.gov
for their eligibility and enrollment
functions.
• Issued guidance to States
explaining their freedom to seek
innovative approaches to lowering
premiums and protecting consumers via
State innovation waivers under section
1332 of the PPACA, which included
new information to help states seek
waivers from requirements in Title I of
the PPACA, and establish high-risk
pools/state-operated reinsurance
programs.
• Extended the HHS Risk Adjustment
and Data Validation (HHS–RADV) pilot
by another year, providing needed
flexibility for issuers to adapt to the new
HHS–RADV audit tool and protocols to
ensure that lessons learned from the
first pilot year are implemented
effectively, and enabling the Centers for
Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS) to
ensure that issuers are compliant with
all HHS–RADV requirements, increasing
the stability of the markets and the
integrity of risk adjustment transfers.
• Adjusted the QHP certification
calendar, to provide issuers additional
time to prepare and States additional
time to review 2018 products and rates
with greater certainty in response to
recent policy changes.
• Issued guidance to issuers allowing
patients to keep their transitional
individual and small group insurance
plans in 2018.
These initial steps will help issuers
and States work with HHS to achieve
shared goals, including stabilizing the
individual and small group health
insurance markets; empowering patients
and promoting consumer choice;
enhancing affordability; and affirming
the traditional authority of the States in
regulating the business of health
insurance. In this Request for
Information, HHS now seeks input from
the public on other changes within its
E:\FR\FM\12JNP1.SGM
12JNP1
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 111 / Monday, June 12, 2017 / Proposed Rules
asabaliauskas on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with PROPOSALS
authority and consistent with the law to
further achieve these aims.
II. Solicitation of Comments
HHS is interested in soliciting public
comments about changes to existing
regulations or guidance, or other actions
within HHS’s authority, that could
further the following goals with respect
to the individual and small group health
insurance markets:
1. Empowering patients and
promoting consumer choice. What
activities would best inform consumers
and help them choose a plan that best
meets their needs? Which regulations
currently reduce consumer choices of
how to finance their health care and
health insurance needs? Choice
includes the freedom to choose how to
finance one’s healthcare, which insurer
to use, and which provider to use.
2. Stabilizing the individual, small
group, and non-traditional health
insurance markets. What changes would
bring stability to the risk pool, promote
continuous coverage, increase the
number of younger and healthier
consumers purchasing plans, reduce
uncertainty and volatility, and
encourage uninsured individuals to buy
coverage?
3. Enhancing affordability. What steps
can HHS take to enhance the
affordability of coverage for individual
consumers and small businesses?
4. Affirming the traditional regulatory
authority of the States in regulating the
business of health insurance. Which
HHS regulations or policies have
impeded or unnecessarily interfered
with States’ primary role in regulating
the health insurance markets they know
best?
This is a request for information only.
Respondents are encouraged to provide
complete but concise responses to the
questions outlined above. We note that
a response to every question is not
required. This request for information is
issued solely for information and
planning purposes; it does not
constitute a notice of proposed
rulemaking or request for proposals,
applications, proposal abstracts, or
quotations. This request for information
does not commit the United States
Government (‘‘Government’’) to contract
for any supplies or services or make a
grant award. Further, HHS is not
seeking proposals through this request
for information and will not accept
unsolicited proposals. Respondents are
advised that the Government will not
pay for any information or
administrative costs incurred in
response to this request for information;
all costs associated with responding to
this request for information will be
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:49 Jun 09, 2017
Jkt 241001
solely at the interested party’s expense.
Not responding to this request for
information does not preclude
participation in any future rulemaking
or procurement, if conducted. It is the
responsibility of the potential
responders to monitor this request for
information announcement for
additional information pertaining to this
request. We also note that HHS will not
respond to questions about the policy
issues raised in this request for
information. HHS may or may not
choose to contact individual responders.
Such communications would only serve
to further clarify written responses.
Contractor support personnel may be
used to review request for information
responses. Responses to this notice are
not offers and cannot be accepted by the
Government to form a binding contract
or issue a grant. Information obtained as
a result of this request for information
may be used by the Government for
program planning on a non-attribution
basis. Respondents should not include
any information that might be
considered proprietary or confidential.
This request for information should not
be construed as a commitment or
authorization to incur cost for which
reimbursement would be required or
sought. All submissions become
Government property and will not be
returned. HHS may publically post the
comments received, or a summary
thereof. While responses to this request
for information do not bind HHS to any
further actions related to the response,
all submissions will be made publicly
available on https://www.regulations.gov.
III. Collection of Information
Requirements
This document does not impose
information collection requirements,
that is, reporting, recordkeeping or
third-party disclosure requirements.
This request for information constitutes
a general solicitation of comments. In
accordance with the implementing
regulations of the Paperwork Reduction
Act (PRA) at 5 CFR 1320.3(h)(4),
information subject to the PRA does not
generally include ‘‘facts or opinions
submitted in response to general
solicitations of comments from the
public, published in the Federal
Register or other publications,
regardless of the form or format thereof,
provided that no person is required to
supply specific information pertaining
to the commenter, other than that
necessary for self-identification, as a
condition of the agency’s full
consideration of the comment.’’
Consequently, this document need not
be reviewed by the Office of
Management and Budget under the
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26887
authority of the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).
Dated: June 6, 2017.
Seema Verma,
Administrator, Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services.
Dated: June 7, 2017.
Thomas E. Price,
Secretary, Department of Health and Human
Services.
[FR Doc. 2017–12130 Filed 6–8–17; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 4120–01–P
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS
COMMISSION
47 CFR Part 73
[MB Docket No. 11–54; RM–11624; DA 17–
510]
Television Broadcasting Services;
Augusta, Georgia
Federal Communications
Commission.
ACTION: Proposed rule; withdrawal.
AGENCY:
The Commission has before it
a petition for rulemaking filed by
Southern Media Holdings, Inc. (SMH),
the former licensee of WFXG, Augusta,
Georgia, requesting the substitution of
channel 51 for channel 31 at Augusta.
WFXG License Subsidiary, LLC
(Licensee) is now the licensee of WFXG.
Station WFXG was allotted channel 51
as its post-transition DTV channel and
operated a licensed facility on that
channel. In 2008, SMH filed a petition
for rulemaking requesting that channel
31 be substituted for channel 51, and
the Commission granted that request.
SMH subsequently requested that the
Commission change its channel back to
channel 51 and we issued a Notice of
Proposed Rulemaking, which was
contested. On April 28, 2017, Licensee
filed a letter withdrawing its pending
request to substitute channel 51 for
channel 31, explaining that it had
licensed the channel 31 facility and that
WFXG was reassigned to channel 36 in
connection with the post-incentive
auction repacking of the broadcast
television spectrum.
DATES: The proposed rule published on
April 4, 2011 (76 FR 18497) is
withdrawn as of June 12, 2017.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Joyce Bernstein, Joyce.Bernstein@
fcc.gov, Media Bureau, (202) 418–1647.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a
synopsis of the Commission’s Order,
MB Docket No. 11–54, adopted May 25,
20017, and released May 25, 2017. The
full text of this document is available for
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\12JNP1.SGM
12JNP1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 111 (Monday, June 12, 2017)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 26885-26887]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-12130]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
42 CFR Chapter IV
Office of the Secretary
45 CFR Subtitle A
[CMS-9928-NC]
RIN 0938-ZB39
Reducing Regulatory Burdens Imposed by the Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act & Improving Healthcare Choices To Empower Patients
AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS.
ACTION: Request for information.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is actively
working to reduce regulatory burdens and improve health insurance
options under Title I of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care
Act. Executive Order 13765, ``Minimizing the Economic Burden of the
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Pending Repeal,'' directs
the Secretary of Health and Human Services to achieve these aims. HHS
seeks comment from interested parties to inform its ongoing efforts to
create a more patient-centered health care system that adheres to the
key principles of affordability, accessibility, quality, innovation,
and empowerment.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before July 12, 2017.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments in one of three ways (please choose
only one of the ways listed):
1. Electronically. You may submit electronic comments to https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the ``Submit a comment'' instructions.
2. By regular mail. You may mail written comments to the following
address ONLY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Department of
Health and Human Services, Attention: CMS-9928-NC, P.O. Box 8016,
Baltimore, MD 21244-8016.
Please allow sufficient time for mailed comments to be received
before the close of the comment period.
3. By express or overnight mail. You may send written comments to
the following address ONLY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services,
Department of Health and Human Services, Attention: CMS-9928-NC,
[[Page 26886]]
Mail Stop C4-26-05, 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21244-1850.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Vanessa Jones, (202) 690-7000.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Submission of Comments: All submissions received must include the
Agency name CMS-9928-NC for this notice. All comments received may be
posted without change to https://www.regulations.gov, including any
personal information provided.
I. Background
On January 20, 2017, President Trump issued Executive Order 13765,
``Minimizing the Economic Burden of the Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act Pending Repeal,'' to minimize the unwarranted
economic and regulatory burdens of the Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act (PPACA) (Pub. L. 111-148). To meet these
objectives, the President directed the Secretary of Health and Human
Services (the Secretary) and the heads of all other executive
departments and agencies with authorities and responsibilities under
the PPACA, to the maximum extent permitted by law, to afford the States
more flexibility and control to create a more free and open health care
market; provide relief from any provision or requirement of the PPACA
that would impose a fiscal burden on any State or a cost, fee, tax,
penalty, or regulatory burden on individuals, families, health care
providers, health insurers, patients, recipients of health care
services, purchasers of health insurance, or makers of medical devices,
products, or medications; provide greater flexibility to States and
cooperate with them in implementing health care programs; and encourage
the development of a free and open market in interstate commerce for
the offering of health care services and health insurance, with the
goal of achieving and preserving maximum options for patients and
consumers.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is the federal
government's principal agency charged with protecting the health of all
Americans and providing essential human services. HHS's
responsibilities include Medicare, Medicaid, increasing access to care
and private health coverage, support for public health preparedness and
emergency response, biomedical research, substance abuse and mental
health treatment and prevention, assurance of safe and effective drugs
and other medical products, protection of our Nation's food supply,
assistance to low income families, the Head Start program, services to
older Americans, and direct health services delivery. HHS is comprised
of staff divisions and operating divisions, many of which are
responsible for promulgating regulations pursuant to HHS's statutory
authority.
Among HHS's goals is to establish a robust and resilient framework
for each HHS division to undertake a periodic, thoughtful analysis of
its significant existing regulations issued under Title I of the PPACA,
to determine whether each rule advances or impedes HHS priorities of
stabilizing the individual and small group health insurance markets;
empowering patients and promoting consumer choice; enhancing
affordability; and returning regulatory authority to the States. We
seek public input on changes that could be made, consistent with
current law, to existing regulations under HHS's jurisdiction that
would result in a more streamlined, flexible, and less burdensome
regulatory structure, including identifying regulations that eliminate
jobs or inhibit job creation; are outdated, unnecessary, or
ineffective; impose costs that exceed benefits; or create a serious
inconsistency or otherwise interfere with regulatory reform initiatives
and policies.
Since the first weeks of the Administration, HHS has worked to
reduce burdens and improve health insurance options under the
provisions of Title I of the PPACA for which HHS has jurisdiction. On
February 17, 2017, HHS published a proposed rule in the Federal
Register entitled, ``Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; Market
Stabilization,'' (82 FR 10980) containing regulatory changes that are
critical to stabilizing the individual and small group health insurance
markets. After receiving and considering public comment, HHS published
the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; Market Stabilization
Final rule on April 18, 2017 (82 FR 18346). The new rules will place
downward pressure on premiums, curb abuses, and encourage full-year
enrollment by expanding pre-enrollment verification of eligibility for
new exchange enrollees using special enrollment periods; encourage
patients to avoid coverage lapses; provide greater flexibility to
issuers related to actuarial value of plans; return to the States the
authority and means to assess issuer network adequacy; revise the
timeline for qualified health plan (QHP) certification and rate review
to give issuers flexibility to incorporate benefit changes and maximize
the number of coverage options available to patients; and more closely
align the open enrollment period for the individual market with the
employer-sponsored insurance market and Medicare, thus helping to lower
prices for Americans by reducing adverse selection. We have also taken
a number of other steps to reduce burden, improve choices, and
stabilize the insurance market:
Issued guidance announcing HHS's intent to propose new
health coverage enrollment options for small businesses enrolling
through the Federally-facilitated Small Business Health Options Program
(FF-SHOP), reducing burdens and making it easier for small employers
and their employees to purchase coverage.
Announced a new streamlined and simplified direct
enrollment process for consumers signing up for individual market
coverage with the assistance of web-brokers or issuers in states with
Exchanges that rely on HealthCare.gov for their eligibility and
enrollment functions.
Issued guidance to States explaining their freedom to seek
innovative approaches to lowering premiums and protecting consumers via
State innovation waivers under section 1332 of the PPACA, which
included new information to help states seek waivers from requirements
in Title I of the PPACA, and establish high-risk pools/state-operated
reinsurance programs.
Extended the HHS Risk Adjustment and Data Validation (HHS-
RADV) pilot by another year, providing needed flexibility for issuers
to adapt to the new HHS-RADV audit tool and protocols to ensure that
lessons learned from the first pilot year are implemented effectively,
and enabling the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS) to
ensure that issuers are compliant with all HHS-RADV requirements,
increasing the stability of the markets and the integrity of risk
adjustment transfers.
Adjusted the QHP certification calendar, to provide
issuers additional time to prepare and States additional time to review
2018 products and rates with greater certainty in response to recent
policy changes.
Issued guidance to issuers allowing patients to keep their
transitional individual and small group insurance plans in 2018.
These initial steps will help issuers and States work with HHS to
achieve shared goals, including stabilizing the individual and small
group health insurance markets; empowering patients and promoting
consumer choice; enhancing affordability; and affirming the traditional
authority of the States in regulating the business of health insurance.
In this Request for Information, HHS now seeks input from the public on
other changes within its
[[Page 26887]]
authority and consistent with the law to further achieve these aims.
II. Solicitation of Comments
HHS is interested in soliciting public comments about changes to
existing regulations or guidance, or other actions within HHS's
authority, that could further the following goals with respect to the
individual and small group health insurance markets:
1. Empowering patients and promoting consumer choice. What
activities would best inform consumers and help them choose a plan that
best meets their needs? Which regulations currently reduce consumer
choices of how to finance their health care and health insurance needs?
Choice includes the freedom to choose how to finance one's healthcare,
which insurer to use, and which provider to use.
2. Stabilizing the individual, small group, and non-traditional
health insurance markets. What changes would bring stability to the
risk pool, promote continuous coverage, increase the number of younger
and healthier consumers purchasing plans, reduce uncertainty and
volatility, and encourage uninsured individuals to buy coverage?
3. Enhancing affordability. What steps can HHS take to enhance the
affordability of coverage for individual consumers and small
businesses?
4. Affirming the traditional regulatory authority of the States in
regulating the business of health insurance. Which HHS regulations or
policies have impeded or unnecessarily interfered with States' primary
role in regulating the health insurance markets they know best?
This is a request for information only. Respondents are encouraged
to provide complete but concise responses to the questions outlined
above. We note that a response to every question is not required. This
request for information is issued solely for information and planning
purposes; it does not constitute a notice of proposed rulemaking or
request for proposals, applications, proposal abstracts, or quotations.
This request for information does not commit the United States
Government (``Government'') to contract for any supplies or services or
make a grant award. Further, HHS is not seeking proposals through this
request for information and will not accept unsolicited proposals.
Respondents are advised that the Government will not pay for any
information or administrative costs incurred in response to this
request for information; all costs associated with responding to this
request for information will be solely at the interested party's
expense. Not responding to this request for information does not
preclude participation in any future rulemaking or procurement, if
conducted. It is the responsibility of the potential responders to
monitor this request for information announcement for additional
information pertaining to this request. We also note that HHS will not
respond to questions about the policy issues raised in this request for
information. HHS may or may not choose to contact individual
responders. Such communications would only serve to further clarify
written responses. Contractor support personnel may be used to review
request for information responses. Responses to this notice are not
offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding
contract or issue a grant. Information obtained as a result of this
request for information may be used by the Government for program
planning on a non-attribution basis. Respondents should not include any
information that might be considered proprietary or confidential. This
request for information should not be construed as a commitment or
authorization to incur cost for which reimbursement would be required
or sought. All submissions become Government property and will not be
returned. HHS may publically post the comments received, or a summary
thereof. While responses to this request for information do not bind
HHS to any further actions related to the response, all submissions
will be made publicly available on https://www.regulations.gov.
III. Collection of Information Requirements
This document does not impose information collection requirements,
that is, reporting, recordkeeping or third-party disclosure
requirements. This request for information constitutes a general
solicitation of comments. In accordance with the implementing
regulations of the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) at 5 CFR 1320.3(h)(4),
information subject to the PRA does not generally include ``facts or
opinions submitted in response to general solicitations of comments
from the public, published in the Federal Register or other
publications, regardless of the form or format thereof, provided that
no person is required to supply specific information pertaining to the
commenter, other than that necessary for self-identification, as a
condition of the agency's full consideration of the comment.''
Consequently, this document need not be reviewed by the Office of
Management and Budget under the authority of the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).
Dated: June 6, 2017.
Seema Verma,
Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Dated: June 7, 2017.
Thomas E. Price,
Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services.
[FR Doc. 2017-12130 Filed 6-8-17; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 4120-01-P
