Health payers' thirst for information, success stories and anything else that might help them navigate the pervasive changes required in the post-reform marketplace is evident just by glancing at the AHIP Institute 2011 agenda. The topic is everywhere.

AHIP has scheduled a separate, one-day mini-session on Wednesday, the day before the full Institute begins. The "AHIP Compliance Forum: Preparing for ACA Changes" highlights key priorities for health plans, helping insurance execs better understand how the health reform regulations affect their compliance programs so they can re-tool certain efforts to succeed in this new environment.

You can also find multiple sessions addressing post-reform concerns during the full conference, starting with the "Future of Employer-Based Health Insurance Following Health Reform" on Thursday morning. Find out which health reform provisions pertain to employer-sponsored coverage and discover employers' likely course of action in the transformed healthcare landscape.

WellPoint execs lead two separate sessions, one that makes a case for why health plans should re-engineer their business model to succeed in the new marketplace and discusses the evolving consumer, employer and public purchaser demands on insurers. Another WellPoint-piloted session aims to help health payers remain relevant, particularly within the senior market and health and wellness initiatives, by identifying in-demand products and services, as well as new tools for managing outcome-based incentive programs.

Other sessions address how health plans can make more real-time data available to members, the effects of health reform on consumer-driven benefits design, and strategies for quickly launching new products to address the changing needs of new markets. Rounding out Thursday's post-reform topics is a session covering the shift from wholesale to retail models that describes why insurers must quickly change products, mindsets, and competencies to overcome challenges and remain relevant.

And last, but certainly not least, you can learn how data and analytics help payers navigate within and capitalize on the post-reform marketplace during the Friday morning session, "Predicting and Managing Change in the Post-Reform Environment."

Related Articles:
Shift to retail business model to attract members
Major for-profit insurers still unclear on PPACA fallout, but see opportunities  
Reform to fundamentally change healthcare business model