Issue Briefs , Regulatory Analysis | May 15, 2015

Regulation of Student Health Plans Under Federal and State Law: An Overview

Kayla Connor and David Cusano, Center on Health Insurance Reforms, Georgetown Health Policy Institute

In March of 2012, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a regulation defining student health plans as individual health insurance under federal law. As a result, they are now subject to the same consumer protections afforded to all those covered by individual health insurance set forth in the Public Health Service Act, as amended by the Affordable Care Act. This issue brief, prepared by the Center on Health Insurance Reforms at the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute, examines student health plans, which cover over 1 million students, and investigates the interplay between federal and state regulation with regard to these plans.


Expert Perspectives

May 9, 2022

HHS Letter to the FCC on Text Messaging: Model Comments to Inform State Comment Letters in Support

On May 3, 2022, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) opened a public comment period for feedback on a letter submitted by the Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. The letter requests the FCC’s opinion on the use of text messages and automated calls to enrollees as states resume regular operations at the end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. The public comment period is an opportunity for states to share how text messages and automated phone calls are needed to reach enrollees. This expert perspective provides model comments to inform and support state responses to the FCC’s public comment period. States must submit all comments by Tuesday, May 17, 2022.