The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA) adds a new annual reporting requirement that requires group health plans and health insurance issuers to submit an informational report on prescription drug and health care spending to the HHS, the Secretary of Labor, and the Secretary of the Treasury.
The reporting requirements are extensive, and the lift will be significant for health plans, insurers, and TPAs. Ultimately, the reported information will be aggregated by the departments and published on the internet, with the intention of offering plan sponsors and individuals insight into where their healthcare dollars are spent.
Which Plans are Subject?
Essentially all health plans (group and individual) are subject to the new reporting requirements. This includes small and large plans, self-funded and fully insured plans, and both grandfathered and non-grandfathered plans. The reporting requirement does not apply to health reimbursement accounts (HRAs) other account-based group health plans or coverage consisting solely of excepted benefits such as dental or vision plans.
What Data Must Be Included in the Reports?
Data required to be included in the reports fall into two categories: data that is unique to each plan and thus cannot be aggregated and data that can be aggregated between plans. The required data elements are as follows:
Non-Aggregated Data
- General plan and reporting entity identifying information,
- Beginning and end dates of the plan’s plan year,
- Number of participants on the last day of the reference year, and
- Each state in which the plan is offered.
Aggregated Data
- 50 Most Frequently Dispensed Rx: The 50 brand prescription drugs most frequently dispensed by pharmacies for claims paid by the plan or coverage and the total number of paid claims for each such drug.
- 50 Most Costly Rx: The 50 most costly prescription drugs with respect to the plan or coverage by total annual spending and the annual amount spent by the plan for each such drug.
- 50 Rx with Greatest Cost Increase: The 50 prescription drugs with the greatest increase in plan expenditures over the plan year preceding the plan year that is the subject of the report and, for each such drug, the change in amounts expended by the plan or coverage in each such plan year.
- Total Plan Spending: Total spending on healthcare services by the plan, broken down by the types of costs, including hospital, primary provider/clinic, specialty provider/clinic, drugs covered by pharmacy benefit, drugs covered by medical benefit, and other costs (such as wellness services).
- Rx Spend by Spender: Spending on prescription drugs is broken down by the health plan spend and the participant spend (copays and coinsurance).
- Premium Information: Average monthly premium, including total premium amount, amount paid by plan sponsor, and amount paid by participants. This category applies to total plan premiums, not just the Rx portion.
- Rebate Information: Prescription drug rebates, fees, and other compensation paid by drug manufacturers to the plan or its administrators or service providers, including the amounts paid for each therapeutic class of drugs, the amounts paid for each of the 25 drugs that yielded the highest amount of rebates, and any reduction in premiums and out-of-pocket costs associated with rebates, fees, or other compensation.
Deadlines for Annual Reports
Reporting runs on a calendar year basis with a reporting year referred to as a “reference year” (prior calendar year). Annual reports are due on June 1st following the reference year.
The initial deadline has been delayed such that reference years 2020 and 2021 are due by Dec. 27, 2022. The deadline for reference year 2022 will be due June 1, 2023.
Who is Responsible?
The plan or issuer is responsible for complying with the reporting requirements. Practically, this means that fully insured plans will rely on their insurance carrier for the reporting and self-funded plans will rely on their TPAs and PBM. However, such reliance must be accompanied by a written agreement to report the data on their behalf.
Employer Action
As a rule, employers will not be directly responsible for reporting the required data. However, as plan sponsors, employers will want to work with their insurance carriers, TPAs, and PBMs to assure that a written agreement is in place to formally acknowledge the transfer of reporting responsibility to their health plan administration partners. If you are a Vita Benefits client, your account management team will reach out to your insurance carriers/TPAs/PBMs, try to obtain this written agreement, and provide confirmation of the process for you.
