Perspectives on Essential Health Benefits: Workshop Report (2012)
Chapter: Appendix B: Web-Based Questions for Public Input on Determination of Essential Health Benefits
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Appendix A: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Section 1302
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Suggested Citation:
"Appendix B: Web-Based Questions for Public Input on Determination of Essential Health Benefits." Institute of Medicine. 2012. Perspectives on Essential Health Benefits: Workshop Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
doi: 10.17226/13182.
Web-Based Questions for Public Input on Determination of Essential Health Benefits
The committee provided opportunity for public input via online submission of responses to the following set of questions. All responses were placed in the project’s public access file, provided directly to HHS, and analyzed for the IOM committee’s review in developing its separate publication, Essential Health Benefits: Balancing Coverage and Cost.
- What is your interpretation of the word “essential” in the context of an essential benefit package?
- How is medical necessity defined and then applied by insurers in coverage determinations? What are the advantages/disadvantages of current definitions and approaches?
- What criteria and methods, besides medical necessity, are currently used by insurers to determine which benefits will be covered? What are the advantages/disadvantages of these current criteria and methods?
- What principles, criteria, and process(es) might the Secretary of HHS use to determine whether the details of each benefit package offered will meet the requirements specified in the Affordable Care Act?
- What type of limits on specific or total benefits, if any, could be allowable in packages given statutory restrictions on lifetime and annual benefit limits? What principles and criteria could/should be applied to assess the advantages and disadvantages of proposed limits?
- How could an “appropriate balance” among the ten categories of essential care be determined so that benefit packages are not unduly weighted to certain categories? The ten categories are: ambulatory patient services; emergency services; hospitalization; maternity and newborn care; mental health and substance use disorders services, including behavioral health treatment; prescription drugs; rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices; laboratory services; preventive and wellness services and chronic disease management; pediatric services, including oral and vision care.
Suggested Citation:
"Appendix B: Web-Based Questions for Public Input on Determination of Essential Health Benefits." Institute of Medicine. 2012. Perspectives on Essential Health Benefits: Workshop Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
doi: 10.17226/13182.
- How could it be determined that essential benefits are “not subject to denial to individuals against their wishes” on the basis of age, expected length of life, present or predicted disability, degree of medical dependency or quality of life? Are there other factors that should be determined?
- How could it be determined that the essential health benefits take into account the health care needs of diverse segments of the population, including women, children, persons with disabilities, and other groups?
- By what criteria and method(s) should the Secretary evaluate state mandates for inclusion in a national essential benefit package? What are the cost and coverage implications of including all current state mandates in requirements for a national essential benefit package?
- What criteria and method(s) should HHS use in updating the essential package? How should these criteria be applied? How might these criteria and method(s) be tailored to assess whether: (1) enrollees are facing difficulty in accessing needed services for reasons of cost or coverage, (2) advances in medical evidence or scientific advancement are being covered, (3) changes in public priorities identified through public input and/or policy changes at the state or national level?
Suggested Citation:
"Appendix B: Web-Based Questions for Public Input on Determination of Essential Health Benefits." Institute of Medicine. 2012. Perspectives on Essential Health Benefits: Workshop Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
doi: 10.17226/13182.
Suggested Citation:
"Appendix B: Web-Based Questions for Public Input on Determination of Essential Health Benefits." Institute of Medicine. 2012. Perspectives on Essential Health Benefits: Workshop Report. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
doi: 10.17226/13182.
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