AR SB956

Establishes the Arkansas Healthcare Transparency Initiative, a database to collect and store medical, dental, and pharmaceutical claims data from insurance carriers and other submitting entities to support healthcare transparency and informed decision-making.

Creates the Arkansas Healthcare Transparency Initiative Board composed of state agency representatives and nine Governor-appointed members from insurance, healthcare, employer, consumer, academic, and privacy sectors; board holds first meeting no later than July 1, 2015.

Requires submitting entities with at least 2,000 covered individuals to submit health claims data, unique identifiers, and demographic information to the initiative by January 1, 2016, and quarterly thereafter; establishes penalties up to $1,000 per day for noncompliance.

Designates the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement as administrator and places the State Insurance Department in governance role; establishes data use restrictions including prohibition on publicly disclosing direct personal identifiers and reidentifying individuals without consent.

Creates the Arkansas Healthcare Transparency Initiative Fund to pay implementation costs through penalties, federal funds, and legislative appropriations; declares emergency effective upon Governor's approval on April 7, 2015.