EBSA exercises delegated authority
under ERISA to protect workers pensions and group health benefits
and has issued regulations under Part 7, codified at 29 C.F.R.
2590.701-1 et seq., to effectuate these rights and provide guidance
to affected group health plans pertaining to a number of laws
applicable to group health plans, including Health Insurance
Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), the Newborns
and Mothers Health Protection Act of 1996, the Mental Health
Parity Act of 1996, and the Womens Health and Cancer Rights Act of
1998. In 2001, EBSA conducted a program to increase compliance with
these laws, the Health Disclosure and Clainms Issues: Fiscal Year
2001 Compliance Project (HDCI). EBSA is now planning to conduct a
follow-up program to assess the effectiveness of its compliance
assistance efforts that will involve the examination of a number
and variety of group health plans that is sufficient to constitute
a representative sample of existing plans from which EBSA can
extrapolate compliance rates for group health plans in general.
However, in order to make its assessment meaningful, EBSA must
first identify ERISA-covered single-employer group health plans in
two groups: (1) plans sponsored by firms with 3-99 employees, and
(2) plans sponsored by firms with 100 or more employees. EBSA
intends to conduct a narrow-scope, one-time telephone survey of
business firms in order to identify a representative sample of
large and small group health plans sponsored by private-sector
employers. The agency intends to ask each firm a limited number of
questions designed to determine whether the firm sponsors a group
health plan covered by title I of ERISA and how many employees are
covered under the plan. Information identifying such a
representative sample is unavailable to EBSA from any other
source.
US Code:
29
USC 1143 Name of Law: Employee Retirement Income Security Act
of 1974
US Code:
29 USC 1181 et seq. Name of Law: Employee Retirement Income
Security Act of 1974
This is a new collection of
information. The information collection consists of a single,
limited-scope telephone survey of businesses for the sole purpose
of identifying an appropriate sample of group health plans on which
to base its assessment of its prior compliance assistance programs.
EBSA will ask respondents to answer a limited set of questions
designed to determine whether the respondent sponsors a
group-health plan covered under title I of ERISA and, if so, how
many employees are covered under the plan. The information sought
to be gathered is not available to EBSA through any other source.
The The purpose of this information collection is to enable EBSA to
conduct a follow-up program to evaluate the effectiveness of its
prior compliance assistance efforts.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.
EBSA response to AHIP Comment.doc
HDCI 2 - BLS approval.pdf
HDCI 2 Survey of Group Health Plans