HR 3590 Signed!

Time for all manner of vendors to consider whether their services will be rendered invaluable, redundant, or worthless as a result of the new legislation.

To support the political claims of "immediate impact", the bill contains certain sections will require states to procure new consulting and technology services.

Among the most straightforward requirements are those found in Section 1103, requiring states to establish new web services in just 3 months. An extension may be granted, or the exact meaning of "establish" can be argued, but no doubt resource-strapped states will be turning to vendors for assistance.

Here's the text:


SEC.  1103.  IMMEDIATE INFORMATION THAT  ALLOWS CONSUMERS  TO IDENTIFY AFFORDABLE COVERAGE OPTIONS.
(a)  INTERNET    PORTAL   TO    AFFORDABLE    COVERAGE   OPTIONS.— (1)  IMMEDIATE    ESTABLISHMENT.—Not   later  than  July  1,
2010,  the  Secretary, in consultation with the  States, shall estab- lish  a mechanism, including an  Internet website, through which  a resident of any  State may  identify affordable health insurance coverage options in that State.
(2)  CONNECTING   TO   AFFORDABLE   COVERAGE.—An Internet website established under  paragraph (1)  shall, to  the   extent practicable, provide  ways  for  residents of any  State to  receive information on at least the  following  coverage options: ...

This will be quite a boon to outfits like ConnectedHealth.com, which already have a clear and concise platform for giving realtime price quotes. The question will be the various states' appetites for making, buying, or renting the solutions they need.

Larger vendors like Accenture, with a long history of Medicaid management information systems, will have the ability to offer the full suite of information required to be provided by the sites. The information required requires tapping databases that have seldom been brought together in one place:


(A) Health insurance coverage offered  by health insurance  issuers, other than coverage that provides reimburse- ment only for the  treatment or mitigation of—
(i) a single disease or condition; or
(ii)   an   unreasonably  limited  set   of  diseases  or
conditions (as determined by the Secretary);
(B)  Medicaid coverage under  title  XIX  of  the   Social
Security Act.
(C)  Coverage under  title  XXI  of  the   Social   Security
Act.

(D) A State health benefits high  risk  pool, to the  extent
that  such   high   risk   pool  is   offered   in   such   State;  and
(E)   Coverage under  a  high   risk   pool