Which health plan types are explicitly mentioned as covered by Section 1557 protections?

• A. Health plans sold through state exchanges.
• B. Medicare Part B.
• C. Self-funded employer plans not on exchange.
• D. Medicaid managed care.

Answer: (A)

Section 1557 protections are most clearly linked to health plans offered through the ACA marketplaces, i.e., plans sold via state exchanges. These marketplace plans are specifically within the scope of 1557’s nondiscrimination protections, since they are part of the federally supported framework designed to ensure equal access to coverage purchased through those exchanges.

Medicare Part B, self-funded employer plans not on an exchange, and Medicaid managed care are not the plan types explicitly described as covered by 1557 in the common interpretation of this material. Medicare is a federal program not tied to the marketplace protections, and self-funded plans or Medicaid managed care operate under different funding and regulatory frameworks than the marketplace plans addressed by 1557. Therefore, the explicit mention in Section 1557 protections most directly applies to plans sold through state exchanges.