Description: Overview of call center and digital sales platforms for the development of distribution strategy in the individual insurance market.

Description: Blockchain technology has the potential to significantly improve the quality of life and overall health of the members of a health system, while also adding to administrative efficiencies. For the first time, we will have access to members’ entire diagnoses and prescription history, consumer behavioral attributes, and other socio-economic determinants which that are valuable inputs to designing appropriate benefits and proper care management plans. Through the blockchain, we will be able to access data not just of the existing members of the health system but also of potential enrollees and new entrants. The data can be accessed by querying the blockchain through a permissioned granted by the member. This information can be very useful in performing feasibility studies for evaluating entry into newer markets and/or newer products, developing customized care plans, and designing efficient value-based contracts. By executing smart contracts on the blockchain, we will be able to achieve administrative efficiencies like never before. The applications of blockchain technology are numerous and ground-breaking. Organizations that do not pay heed to the benefits that blockchain can bring may find themselves left behind as the rest of the industry marches forward in its quest for efficiency and member satisfaction.

Description: Actuarial Perspectives on COVID-19: June 10 Twitter Chat with the Society of Actuaries

Description: The Part D program is funded through a variety of government subsidies and manufacturer discounts. The federal reinsurance, initially designed as protection from catastrophic spending, became a primary source of subsidies for the program. When the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is fully implemented in 2025, the funding of Part D will realign to its original intent.

Description: Gain a clearer understanding as a provider and a payer discuss the insights gained from being involved in value-based care. Learn about the payer's perspectives on how to develop a value-based contract, the negotiation process and the support they provide the provider. Discover the provider's perspectives on how value-based contracts have impacted them, the analytics they are developing and the collaboration with the payer.

Description: The momentum towards value-based care has increased focus on how payers attribute accountability for the cost and quality of member care to providers. The current landscape has a myriad of methodologies and accountable parties. Examine the ideal future state of attribution discussing trade-offs in goals (e.g., population coverage vs. member influence), accountable parties (e.g., should third-party vendors be involved?), and methodologies.

Description: This article provides an overview of behavioral economic theory as it relates to health and welfare insurance plans and provides summaries of two sample applications of the theories: enrollment in health insurance exchanges created by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and product design considerations in light of vast health illiteracy.

Description: Explore key findings of an SOA-funded research paper on telehealth that will be published in 2023. The COVID-19 pandemic initially caused some health care delivery to shift away from in-person transactions to a more digital form of transactions, including telehealth, e-mails, remote patient monitoring and other forms of communication.

Description: Any prudent organization that is obligated to cover health claims will consider the risk that those medical claims vastly exceed expectations. This is true for an employer self-funding employee health benefits, a health system contracted with two-way risk (e.g., Accountable Care Organizations ACOs), and a small or mid-sized health insurance company. Without protection, these risk bearers can incur ruinous losses. Interestingly, the forms of insurance sold to cover such large medical claims, although quite similar, sometimes go by different names depending upon the buyer. • Employer Stop-loss (ESL): self-funded employers who want protection against large unanticipated claims • Provider Excess (PXS): at-risk health systems who have taken delegated risk from a public or private payer and desire protection against large unanticipated claims • Medical Excess/HMO Reinsurance (HMO Re): health insurers (including HMOs) who desire protection against large unanticipated claims The concepts we discuss in this article apply to all three categories of large claim risk.

Description: Address issues in value-based contract accounting from an actuarial perspective. In Medicare and ACA business, what issues does risk adjustment present to value-based contract accounting? In Medicare, what issues do Part D present in value-based contract accounting and what are possible solutions? What are the issues in the use of provider stop loss in value-based contract accounting? Are there issues in the timeliness of claims in value-based contract accounting? Are we giving providers enough information for them to manage their population? How do we deal with deficit accounts? What are the pros and cons of capitation, gainshare, and full risk in value-based accounting?