DoL Launches Health Benefit Law Web Site

October 5, 2006 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - The Department of Labor's (DoL) Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) has launched an interactive Web site that provides a resource for employers to comply with various health benefits laws.

In a press release, the DoL said the Health Benefits Advisor is designed to help employers and other plan officials understand their responsibilities in operating group health plans. “This Web site will help employers ensure they are in compliance with the laws governing private-sector group health plans that cover an estimated 134 million Americans and their families,” said Ann Combs, assistant secretary of labor for the EBSA, in the release.

The Web site provides information on the:

  • Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA),
  • Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA),
  • Newborns’ and Mothers’ Health Protection Act,
  • Mental Health Parity Act, and
  • Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act.

The new Web site, at www.dol.gov/elaws/ebsa/health , guides employers through windows containing tools and facts about health benefit laws.   The Web site is part of EBSA’s compliance assistance program that will now be available to nearly 2.5 million health benefit plans nationwide.   Other free publications on health benefits also are available on EBSA’s Web site or by calling its toll-free number at (866) 444-3272 (EBSA).

«