As it was originally signed into law, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) capped deductibles on health plans offered in the small group market at $2,000 for individuals and $4,000 for families.
Problem was, with the caps so "low," insurers threatened to raise rates sky high, so the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a one-year regulatory reprieve for 2014.
Now, in a yearly ritual to prevent cuts in payments to Medicare service providers, President Obama has signed the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014, which also eliminates the ACA deductible caps on small group plans.
Medicare physicians (the bill is dubbed "the doc fix") will now enjoy their current rates of reimbursement for another 13 months, but the caps on small health plans are gone for good.