[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]