Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; Exchange Functions: Eligibility for Exemptions; Miscellaneous Minimum Essential Coverage Provisions

This final rule implements certain functions of the Affordable Insurance Exchanges ("Exchanges"). These specific statutory functions include determining eligibility for and granting certificates of exemption from the individual shared responsibility payment described in section 5000A of the Internal Revenue Code. Additionally, this final rule implements the responsibilities of the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in coordination with the Secretary of the Treasury, to designate other health benefits coverage as minimum essential coverage by providing that certain coverage be designated as minimum essential coverage. It also outlines substantive and procedural requirements that other types of individual coverage must fulfill in order to be certified as minimum essential coverage.