The fight to obtain relief for mini-med plans from the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) MLR calculation took an encouraging but not yet conclusive turn last week. Although many insurers (including Aetna) have obtained their waivers as to restricted annual limits, no such plan or product could ever meet the 85 percent MLR requirements of ACA.  Aetna has led an ad hoc coalition of employers, insurers and agents in fighting for an exemption from the MLR calculation based on the unique characteristics of mini-med plans.  A Wall Street Journal story revealed that a major employer (McDonald's) was contemplating dropping mini-med coverage for 30,000 of its employees, an example of the new law's unintended consequences. The story further led HHS and the White House both to issue a press statement and host a conference call with some members of the coalition late in the week.  Aetna took the lead in providing the Administration with information (data, policy and legal documents) in support of its position that the issue could be quickly resolved by exempting mini-med plans from the MLR calculation and thereby preserving coverage for 1.4 million citizens. A decision from HHS is pending.