Feds Act on Key Provision of Obamacare

The release of new rules offering guidance on how to put key provisions of the federal health care reform law into practice sent a loud and clear message to lawyers: time to pay attention again. Following what lawyers say was a pre-election slowdown in the pace of federal agencies tasked with crafting rules for implementing the Affordable Care Act, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on November 20 announced three new rules, including one that will make it illegal for insurance companies to discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions.

"This will help health insurers who want to offer plans in the health exchanges to roll up their sleeves and start doing the complex calculations and benefit design work they need to do in order to design a policy that follows the law," said Healthcare & Life Sciences Partner Robert Bradner.