On Monday January 24, 2011, newly elected California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones announced in a press release that he had obtained approval from the California Office of Administrative Law to issue an emergency regulation allowing the Department of Insurance (the “Department”) to enforce the medical loss ratio guidelines in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2009 (“PPACA”).

As of January 1, 2011, the PPACA requires all health insurers in the individual market to maintain an 80% medical loss ratio. The Department obtained approval to amend 10 California Code of Regulations § 2222.12 to mirror this requirement. A copy of the amended text can be viewed here.

The emergency regulation went into effect on January 24, 2011, and expires on July 26, 2011. It requires California health insurers to demonstrate compliance with the 80% medical loss ratio at the time of the Department’s rate review.