ERISA Industry Committee calls for end of health plan identifiers

By Jack Craver

July 28, 2015 at 01:10 PM

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The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC), a group that represents the interests of large self-insured employers on health, retirement and compensation issues, says self-insured health care plans should not be required to obtain health plan identifiers (HPIDs).

The committee attacked the new rule which was put in place by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in response to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), saying that requiring all health plans to acquire the 10 digit identifiers has caused "administrative confusion, uncertainty and consternation" for its members.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) initially set a deadline for large group health plans to obtain an HPID by Nov. 5, 2014.

HHS later issued an order indefinitely delaying enforcement amidst widespread concern expressed by businesses. The 60-day public comment period allowing for businesses to voice their concerns to HHS about the rule ends today.

Annette Guarisco Fildes, president of ERIC, said the backlash should make officials consider completely doing away with HPIDs, which were first developed as part of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996.

"The HPID is a 20-year-old solution to a problem that no longer exists, and it ought to be scrapped entirely," Fildes said in the statement.

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