Summary of insurance coverage required

Beginning today, U.S. adults with health insurance can get an easy-to-understand summary of coverage, government officials say. The new rules are a joint effort among the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Labor and the Department of the Treasury, officials said. "The summary of benefits and coverage was designed after the nutrition facts label required for packaged foods, which helps consumers make healthy and informed decisions about their diet," the officials said in a statement. "The summary of benefits and coverage's standardized and easy-to-understand information about health plan benefits and coverage allows you to more easily make 'apples to apples' comparisons among your insurance options." The measure brings more openness to the insurance marketplace for the more than 180 million Americans with private health coverage -- either through an employer-sponsored health insurance or health insurance plans people buy as individuals, the officials said. "It's not easy for consumers to know what they are buying when shopping for insurance," the statement on the website HealthCare.gov. said. "The coverage examples give a general sense of how a plan would cover the normal delivery of a baby, and services to help a person control type 2 diabetes."