In Kentucky, most trade association-sponsored health plans renew on July 1, 2014. Now is an excellent time for trade association executives to review association and Health Plan materials to ensure compliance with applicable Federal and State requirements prior to renewal.

Earlier this week, we discussed the benefits of all-payer claims database (“APCD”) systems. Nine states currently have APCDs in place, but Kentucky is not one of them. These systems provide a multitude of information on the cost, use, and quality of health care in a given state, but the question remains: how do providers feel about APCDs?

Over the last decade, many states have established all-payer claims database (“APCD”) systems that collect medical, pharmaceutical, and dental eligibility and claims information. Payers, including insurance providers, third-party administrators, prescription drug plans, Medicaid, and Medicare, are responsible for depositing eligibility and claims data into a collective system. The data can then be used to generate important information about cost and quality of care. By gathering detailed information in one place, a statewide picture emerges – information on service providers, patient demographics, and other important healthcare data.

In a 2009 speech to the American Medical Association, President Obama promised, “If you like your health-care plan, you’ll be able to keep your health-care plan, period. No one will take it away, no matter what.” This declaration came as the health care law was being written and similar statements were repeated by the President after the bill became law.

HealthCare.gov’s technical woes are expected to be fixed by November 30^th. But, those fixes might come too late for a certain subset of needed enrollees – the young and healthy. The purpose behind the Affordable Care Act’s individual health insurance mandate was to ensure that private insurers would get enough young, healthy people in the system who could offset the costs of covering older and sicker, Medicaid-eligible patients.