Labor Department Seeks Public Comment on Info Collection: Coverage of Certain Preventive Services Under Affordable Care Act-Private Sector

WASHINGTON, Sept. 28 -- The U.S. Department of Labor proposed a 30-day public comment period starting on Sept. 28, 2021, on an information collection entitled: "Coverage of Certain Preventive Services under the Affordable Care Act-Private Sector."

A notice was published in the Federal Register by Mara Blumenthal, Senior PRA Analyst.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Public Law 111-148, (the Affordable Care Act) was enacted on March 23, 2010 and amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, Public Law 111-152 on March 30, 2010. The Affordable Care Act added section 2713 to the Public Health Service (PHS) Act and incorporated this provision into ERISA and the Code. The related regulations contain the following collections of information:

(1) Each organization seeking to be treated as an eligible organization to use the optional accommodation process offered under the regulation must either notify an issuer or third party administrator using the EBSA Form 700 method of self-certification or provide notice to HHS of its religious or moral objection to coverage of all or a subset of contraceptive services.

(2) A health insurance issuer or third party administrator providing or arranging separate payments for contraceptive services for participants and beneficiaries in insured plans (or student enrollees and covered dependents in student health insurance coverage) of eligible organizations is required to provide a written notice to plan participants and beneficiaries (or student enrollees and covered dependents) informing them of the availability of such payments. The notice must be separate from but, contemporaneous with (to the extent possible) any application materials distributed in connection with enrollment (or re-enrollment) in group or student coverage of the eligible organization in any plan year to which the accommodation is to apply and will be provided annually. To satisfy the notice requirement, issuers may, but are not required to, use the model language set forth previously or substantially similar language.

(3) An eligible organization may also revoke its use of the accommodation process and must provide participants and beneficiaries written notice of such revocation as soon as possible. For additional substantive information about this ICR, see the related notice published in the Federal Register on March 31, 2021 (86 FR 16787).

This information collection is subject to the PRA. A Federal agency generally cannot conduct or sponsor a collection of information, and the public is generally not required to respond to an information collection, unless the OMB approves it and displays a currently valid OMB Control Number. In addition, notwithstanding any other provisions of law, no person shall generally be subject to penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information that does not display a valid OMB Control Number. See 5 CFR 1320.5(a) and 1320.6.

DOL seeks PRA authorization for this information collection for three (3) years. OMB authorization for an ICR cannot be for more than three (3) years without renewal. The DOL notes that information collection requirements submitted to the OMB for existing ICRs receive a month-to-month extension while they undergo review.

Agency: DOL-EBSA.

Title of Collection: Coverage of Certain Preventive Services under the Affordable Care Act--Private Sector.

OMB Control Number: 1210-0150.

Affected Public: Private Sector-- Businesses or other for-profits and not-for-profit institutions.

Total Estimated Number of Respondents: 114.

Total Estimated Number of Responses: 777,362.

Total Estimated Annual Time Burden: 181 hours.

Total Estimated Annual Other Costs Burden: $194,963.

Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3507(a)(1)(D).

Dated: September 21, 2021.

Mara Blumenthal,

Senior PRA Analyst.

[FR Doc. 2021-20971 Filed 9-27-21; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510-29-P

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Complete text: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/09/28/2021-20971/agency-information-collection-activities-submission-for-omb-review-comment-request-coverage-of

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