Applicable Laws, Regulations, Publications and Related Links
Please choose the law about which you would like information:
Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) - ERISA is a federal law that regulates employee benefit plans, such as group health plans, that private sector employers, employee organizations
(such as a union), or both, offer to employees and their families.
Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA) - COBRA is a federal law that provides rights to temporary continuation
of group health plan coverage for certain
employees, retirees and family members at group rates when coverage is lost due to
certain qualifying events. Generally, COBRA applies to employers who employed 20 or more
employees in the prior calendar year. If the group health
plan is a multi-employer, collectively bargained plan, only one contributing employer needs to
have 20 or more employees in the prior year in order
for COBRA to apply to the whole plan.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) - HIPAA is a federal law that limits pre-existing condition exclusions,
permits special enrollment when
certain life or work events occur, prohibits discrimination against employees
and dependents based on their health status, and guarantees availability and
renewability of health coverage to certain employees and individuals.
Newborns' and Mothers' Health Protection Act (Newborns' Act) - The Newborns' Act is a federal
law that prohibits health plans and insurance companies (including Health Maintenance
Organizations) that cover hospitalization in
connection with childbirth from restricting a mothers' or newborns' benefits for
such hospital stays to less than 48 hours for a vaginal delivery or 96 hours for
delivery by cesarean section, unless the attending doctor or nurse midwife, or
other licensed health care provider, in
consultation with the mother, discharges earlier.
Mental Health Parity Act (MHPA) - MHPA is a federal law that requires that annual or lifetime dollar limits on mental
health benefits provided by a group health
plan be no lower than the annual or lifetime dollar limits for medical
and surgical benefits offered by that plan. MHPA applies to employers with more
than 50 employees. For up to date information on the applicability of the Mental Health Parity
Act, contact the EBSA regional office nearest you.
Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act (WHCRA) - WHCRA is a federal law
that provides important protections for individuals who
have undergone a mastectomy.
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