January 1: The Ultimate Stress Test for Health Plan Infrastructure
Delivering a Seamless Day 1 Experience
January 1 is one of the most critical moments of the year for health plans. The point when every benefit design, system configuration, and operational decision becomes real for members. Often described as a live-fire test, Day 1 exposes whether a health plan’s infrastructure is truly ready to perform across Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, CDH, and ICHRA programs.
This year, Lynx successfully supported millions of new accounts going live on Day 1, across some of the most complex benefit environments in healthcare.
In this conversation, Lynx’s CIO, Ken Abel, shares his perspective on benefit readiness, system orchestration, and risk mitigation required to deliver a seamless Day 1 experience. Ken explains why success on January 1 is as much about innovation as it is about flawless execution, ensuring benefits work at midnight, issues are resolved quickly, and member trust is earned on Day 1 and sustained throughout the year.
Watch the Full Episode
Conversation Highlights
How Health Plans, Employers, and Vendors Prepare for January 1 Execution
From Medicare Advantage to ICHRA and CDH, January 1 puts extraordinary pressure on healthcare systems. In this clip, CIO Ken Abel explains the coordination required across teams and vendors to deliver benefits, cards, eligibility, and functionality on time, and why flawless Day 1 execution matters across every vertical.
The Hidden Complexity of January 1: How Many Systems Must Work Perfectly
January 1 represents one of the highest-risk technical moments of the year for health plans and employers. In this clip, Lynx’s CIO, Ken Abel, breaks down how legacy systems, eligibility data, banking integrations, card processing, and vendor ecosystems must align for a single member transaction to work, and where failures commonly occur.
How SKU-Level Controls Give Health Plans a Competitive Edge Starting on January 1
Health plans spend months designing benefits, but success on January 1 depends on precision. In this clip, Lynx CIO Ken Abel explains how SKU-level controls and customizable approved product lists (APLs) help prevent Day 1 confusion, misuse, and friction at the point of sale. He also shares how increasing benefit customization, driven by ICHRA, lifestyle accounts, and new value-added programs, is becoming a key competitive advantage, enabling plans to differentiate their offerings while managing growing complexity at scale.
