Putting an end to clash with Republican state officials and patient-advocacy groups, the Obama administration decided to allow states to decide what treatments insurance plans should cover under the health-care overhaul.

The new guidance is a departure from the way the Obama administration had been anticipated to put the provision into practice.

Many Republicans and patient-advocacy groups had been arguing that a coverage that works in Florida might not be able to prove efficient in Nebraska.

Speaking about the new guidance, Alan Weil from the National Academy for State Heath Policy, said, “This is significantly more state-flexible and friendly than many would have expected.”

State leaders will now be able to define their own set of benefits by employing an existing major health insurance plan as a benchmark.

It means some states may make insurers to cover health services like in vitro fertilization or chiropractic therapy, while other states may not.

However, the rules will not affect co-payments, deductibles and cost sharing, which play a vital part in shaping premiums.