Description: Actuaries have the business acumen, problem-solving capabilities, and technical skills to develop innovative and data-driven solutions in the social insurance space. It is time we expand our scope and embrace an increased role in making a positive impact within the health care ecosystem. The primary focus of this paper is on social insurance programs dedicated to the most vulnerable population: low-income families accessing care through Medicaid. While there are numerous challenges that require other subject matter experts to take the lead, this article highlights topics where actuaries can be key players in developing and implementing tangible solutions to improve the care for the most vulnerable. Issues and solutions in this paper focus on the following three areas: 1. Access to appropriate care, 2. continuity of care, and 3. social determinants of health.

Description: Social Insurance & Public Finance Section council members provide a recap of sessions from the 2021 SOA Health Meeting, with a focus on sessions covering Medicare, Medicaid, the ACA, and public policy. The authors include a description of SIPF Section-sponsored sections, including a session on the ACA and a session on CMS's Direct Contracting Model.

Description: Read the July 2019 issue of In The Public Interest by the Social Insurance and Public Finance Section. Newsletters provide practical information for the working actuary, articles on trends that impact sections and news about section activities.

Description: Read the March 2020 issue of In The Public Interest published by the Social Insurance & Public Finance Section. Newsletters provide practical information for the working actuary, articles on trends that impact sections and news about section activities.

Description: Read the August 2020 issue of In The Public Interest published by the Social Insurance and Public Finance Section. Newsletters provide practical information for the working actuary, articles on trends that impact sections and news about section activities.

Description: Read the August 2020 issue of In The Public Interest published by the Social Insurance and Public Finance Section. Newsletters provide practical information for the working actuary, articles on trends that impact sections and news about section activities.

Description: The article describes the insurance industry's preparation for pandemic events and the public finance response.

Description: The widening gap in life span between high- and low-income Americans may be eroding the progressivity of Social Security retirement benefits. Differential longevity trends have had the effect of raising lifetime benefits for high earners but not for low earners. Social Security’s long-term financial problems result in part from an increase in average life expectancy driven by wealthier people living longer, and, thereby, collecting more benefits. Policymakers should not use funding shortfalls attributable to these trends as an excuse to cut monthly benefits alike for those who have gained (high earners) and for those who haven’t (low earners).

Description: Summary of the annual cost-of-living adjustment and changes in other wage-indexed programs parameters for Social Security in 2024.

Description: State Medicaid agencies have been implementing value-based payment (VBP) models for the last decade and are increasingly exploring advanced population-based payment (PBP) models that increase flexibility, predictability, and accountability for participating provider organizations. PBP models show promise in advancing Medicaid priorities, but are still in the early stages of development, and model design and implementation challenges remain. This article from the Center for Health Care Strategies explores the fundamentals of VBP and how PBP - a particular type of payment model - can help Medicaid agencies achieve goals related to care transformation and quality improvement, revenue stability, and controlling cost of care.