The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Affordable Care Act) adds many protections related to employment-based group health plans for you and your family. These include extending dependent coverage up to age 26; prohibiting preexisting condition exclusions for all individuals; and requiring easy-to-understand summaries of a health plan’s benefits and coverage.

Additional protections that may apply to your plan include the requirement to provide coverage for certain preventive services (such as blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol tests, regular well-baby and well-child visits, routine vaccinations and many cancer screenings) without cost-sharing, and coverage of emergency services in an emergency department of a hospital outside your plan’s network without prior approval from your health plan.

The Affordable Care Act also provides coverage options that allow you to maintain health coverage for you and your family.

For complete information regarding the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and how it can help you and your family, please visit the Consumer section of the Department of Labor website at: www.dol.gov/agencies/ebsa/laws-and-regulations/laws/affordable-care-act/for-workers-and-families