Designing the Essential Health Benefits for Your State: An Advocate’s Guide

The Affordable Care Act requires all health plans to cover a minimum set of benefits, known as essential health benefits. Although the law establishes 10 broad categories of minimum services, each state needs to define the specific services that will be included in its essential health benefits package.

State advocates can use this brief to understand the requirements and process for establishing these essential health benefits packages. Advocate can also to find out how to get involved to ensure that the benefit packages meet the diverse health care needs of consumers.