Maryland's Health Care Reform Coordinating Council shifted gear on Monday about which existing health plan to use as the model for future insurance plans in the private market. The council voted Monday to use the insurance plan designed for small businesses as the model for all private market health plans beginning in 2014 after receiving new guidance from the federal government on the rules for essential health benefits. The state is required under the federal Affordable Care Act to establish essential health benefits—benefits that all private health plans sold to small groups and individuals will be required to include beginning in 2014.
