Final answer:
A health plan must provide a copy of the Notice of Privacy Practices to individuals, which relates to the regulations under HIPAA, not directly to the ACA's employer mandate. The ACA requires employers with over 50 employees to offer health insurance in an effort to ensure universal coverage and address adverse selection in the insurance market.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question pertains to a health plan's obligation to provide a copy of the Notice of Privacy Practices (NOPP) to individuals covered under it. This requirement stems from the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), not specifically from the employer mandate under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA, also known as Obamacare). The employer mandate, however, does impact health coverage as it requires all employers with more than 50 employees to offer health insurance to their employees. Individuals may also receive health insurance from private or non-profit insurers, which have to comply with the regulations set forth under the ACA, enacted with the purpose of moving the United States closer to universal coverage.
The ACA aimed to reduce the issue of adverse selection in insurance markets by requiring every individual to buy insurance, thereby ensuring that healthier individuals contribute to the shared pool of insurance funds. This congressional act, contested in the National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius case, was upheld as a constitutional exercise of Congress's power to tax. The ACA incentivizes employers to provide health insurance benefits and creates state marketplaces for individuals to purchase insurance plans, all in an effort to make healthcare more accessible and affordable.