Among the 500-plus pages of health plan guidance issued this week by the Department of Health and Human Services were the latest rules on employer-sponsored health plan out-of-pocket limits.

On page 332 of the document, entitled "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; HHS Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2017," the out-of-pocket limits are set for 2017. The new maximums are $7,150 for individuals and $14,300 for family insurance. Those were the levels recommended earlier by HHS and represent an increase from the current $6,850/$13,700 maximums.

In the document, which includes comments from reviewers and responses to their comments, one comment brought out the differences in calculating out-of-pocket limits by HHS and the IRS.

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Dan Cook

Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.