42 USC 300gg-119 – Increasing transparency by removing gag clauses on price and quality information
Terms Used In 42 USC 300gg-119
- association: when used in reference to a corporation, shall be deemed to embrace the words "successors and assigns of such company or association" in like manner as if these last-named words, or words of similar import, were expressed. See 1 USC 5
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- individual: shall include every infant member of the species homo sapiens who is born alive at any stage of development. See 1 USC 8
- Secretary: means the Secretary of Health and Human Services. See 42 USC 201
- Service: means the Public Health Service. See 42 USC 201
- State: includes , in addition to the several States, only the District of Columbia, Guam, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. See 42 USC 201
(a) 1 Increasing price and quality transparency for plan sponsors and group and individual market consumers
(1) Group health plans
A group health plan or health insurance issuer offering group health insurance coverage may not enter into an agreement with a health care provider, network or association of providers, third-party administrator, or other service provider offering access to a network of providers that would directly or indirectly restrict a group health plan or health insurance issuer offering such coverage from—
(A) providing provider-specific cost or quality of care information or data, through a consumer engagement tool or any other means, to referring providers, the plan sponsor, enrollees, or individuals eligible to become enrollees of the plan or coverage;
(B) electronically accessing de-identified claims and encounter information or data for each enrollee in the plan or coverage, upon request and consistent with the privacy regulations promulgated pursuant to section 264(c) of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, the amendments made by the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 [42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.], including, on a per claim basis—
(i) financial information, such as the allowed amount, or any other claim-related financial obligations included in the provider contract;
(ii) provider information, including name and clinical designation;
(iii) service codes; or
(iv) any other data element included in claim or encounter transactions; or
(C) sharing information or data described in subparagraph (A) or (B), or directing that such data be shared, with a business associate as defined in Section 160.103 of Title 45, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regulations), consistent with the privacy regulations promulgated pursuant to section 264(c) of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, the amendments made by the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 [42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.].
(2) Individual health insurance coverage
A health insurance issuer offering individual health insurance coverage may not enter into an agreement with a health care provider, network or association of providers, or other service provider offering access to a network of providers that would directly or indirectly restrict the health insurance issuer from—
(A) providing provider-specific price or quality of care information, through a consumer engagement tool or any other means, to referring providers, enrollees, or individuals eligible to become enrollees of the plan or coverage; or
(B) sharing, for plan design, plan administration, and plan, financial, legal, and quality improvement activities, data described in subparagraph (A) with a business associate as defined in Section 160.103 of Title 45, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regulations), consistent with the privacy regulations promulgated pursuant to section 264(c) of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, the amendments made by the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 [42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.].
(3) Clarification regarding public disclosure of information
Nothing in paragraph (1)(A) or (2)(A) prevents a health care provider, network or association of providers, or other service provider from placing reasonable restrictions on the public disclosure of the information described in such paragraphs (1) and (2).
(4) Attestation
A group health plan or a health insurance issuer offering group or individual health insurance coverage shall annually submit to the Secretary an attestation that such plan or issuer of such coverage is in compliance with the requirements of this subsection.
(5) Rules of construction
Nothing in this section shall be construed to modify or eliminate existing privacy protections and standards under State and Federal law. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to otherwise limit access by a group health plan, plan sponsor, or health insurance issuer to data as permitted under the privacy regulations promulgated pursuant to section 264(c) of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, the amendments made by the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 [42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.].