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Kentuckians looking for discount health insurance can now shop online, on their phones or at the mall. Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear announced Monday that kynect, the state's health insurance marketplace, has a mobile app for Android and Apple phones along with a brick and mortar store opening Thursday at the Fayette Mall in Lexington. It's part of a host of new features state officials are rolling out in advance of the new open enrollment period that begins Saturday and runs through Feb. 15, 2015. (Beam, 11/10)

Another open enrollment period begins this Saturday for individual health insurance through the state's marketplace. Local managers are promising more options and the possibility of lower costs, but the Obama administration is lowering expectations about how many Americans will participate. Getting more people to sign up for individual insurance is supposed to reduce health care costs. (Haeck, 11/10)

Colorado's health insurance marketplace is anticipating a $4 million hike in the cost of keeping its call center functioning. The exchange opened Monday for early shopping with no big technical glitches surfacing in light early volume, although 2015 enrollment doesn't begin officially until Saturday. (Draper, 11/10)

Colorado’s health exchange managers expect to spend $4 million more on their call center than anticipated this year, a revelation that spurred a heated argument among board members on Monday. (Kerwin McCrimmon, 11/10)

The average monthly premium for exchange plans will vary wildly next year, but overall, rates in several states are expected to increase modestly and are likely to remain affordable for many consumers. In some areas, like Colorado, competition is high, which is forcing a decrease in premium rates. Colorado is expected to have 15 different health insurers offering plans on the exchange in 2015. But in others, which are heavily dominated by a single insurer, rates are going up. For example, in Tennessee, which had only four carriers last year. (Herman, 11/10)