StacksVerified U.S. regulatory reference

45 CFR §155.1055

Verified against eCFR.gov as of June 20, 2026View official text on eCFR.gov ↗
The Exchange must have a process to establish or evaluate the service areas of QHPs to ensure such service areas meet the following minimum criteria:
  1. (a)The service area of a QHP covers a minimum geographical area that is at least the entire geographic area of a county, or a group of counties defined by the Exchange, unless the Exchange determines that serving a smaller geographic area is necessary, nondiscriminatory, and in the best interest of the qualified individuals and employers.
  2. (b)The service area of a QHP has been established without regard to racial, ethnic, language, health status-related factors specified under section 2705(a) of the PHS Act, or other factors that exclude specific high utilizing, high cost or medically-underserved populations.