DOL Proposes Rule Expanding Access to Association Health Plans

The Department of Labor (DOL) has proposed creating a rule which would broaden the criteria of employers who are allowed to form Association Health Plans (AHPs). The proposed rule would do this by changing the definition of “employer” in Title 1 of ERISA to be more inclusive. The proposal can be found here. The proposed rule is a follow-up to an executive order signed by the President in October 2017, which had listed AHPs as one of three areas the Administration would focus on improving during this term. ANCOR staff are in the process of learning more about what this means for providers (we encourage you to reach out to your state provider associations for more information as well).