[Code of Federal Regulations] [Title 45, Volume 1] [Revised as of October 1, 2003] From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access [CITE: 45CFR144.101] [Page 574] TITLE 45--PUBLIC WELFARE AND HUMAN SERVICES PART 144--REQUIREMENTS RELATING TO HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE --Table of Contents Subpart A--General Provisions Sec. 144.101 Basis and purpose. (a) Part 146 of this subchapter implements sections 2701 through 2723 of the Public Health Service Act (PHS Act, 42 U.S.C. 300gg, et seq.). Its purpose is to improve access to group health insurance coverage, guarantee the renewability of all coverage in the group market, provide certain protections for mothers and newborns with respect to coverage for hospital stays in connection with childbirth, and provide parity between the application of annual and lifetime dollar limits to mental health benefits and those limits for other health benefits and to provide certain protections for patients who elect breast reconstruction in connection with a mastectomy. (b) Part 148 of this subchapter implements sections 2741 through 2763 of the PHS Act. Its purpose is to improve access to individual health insurance coverage for certain individuals who previously had group coverage, guarantee the renewability of all health insurance coverage in the individual market, and provide certain protections for mothers and newborns with respect to coverage for hospital stays in connection with childbirth, and to provide certain protections for patients who elect breast reconstruction in connection with a mastectomy. (c) Part 150 of this subchapter implements the enforcement provisions of sections 2722 and 2761 of the PHS Act with respect to the following: (1) States that fail to substantially enforce one or more provisions of part 146 concerning group health insurance or the requirements of part 148 of this subchapter concerning individual health insurance. (2) Insurance issuers in States described in paragraph (c)(1) of this section. (3) Group health plans that are non-Federal governmental plans. (d) Sections 2791 and 2792 of the PHS Act define terms used in the regulations in this subchapter and provide the basis for issuing these regulations. [64 FR 45795, Aug. 20, 1999]