Legislative Activity

 This Week’s Hearings:

• Wednesday, November 12: The Senate Committee on Appropriations will hold a hearing titled “The U.S. Government Response to the Ebola Outbreak.”
• Thursday, November 13: The House Committee on Foreign Affairs will hold a hearing titled “Combating Ebola in West Africa: The International Response.” The House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs will hold a hearing titled “Assessing the Implementation of the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014.”

Regulatory Activity:

IRS Issues Guidance on Group Health Plans

On Tuesday, November 4, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued guidance regarding group health plans that fail to cover in-patient hospitalization services. Following reports that some group plans that do not include hospital coverage are being marketed to employers as meeting minimal requirements, the guidance states that the Administration will issue regulations requiring employer plans to cover adequate hospital and physician services in order to meet minimum standards.