Description: As actuaries in health care, we spend most of our time focused on reviewing claims, enrollment and clinical data. That information is captured while patients are in health care facilities. Yet most people spend only a small fraction of their time in these facilities. This article explores what types of data are available to actuaries the provide a more holistic view of the member so that a members physical and emotional needs, the social determinants of health can be taken into consideration along with their clinical needs. Two uses cases are presented so actuaries can see how these types of analyses can be leveraged to improve clinical, operational, and financial performance of risk bearing health entities. Understanding the customer (member) not just the patient enables actuaries to provide new insights and values to our stakeholders across a wide range of business and risk applications.

Description: Savings from biosimilars have accelerated significantly in the past few years. There has been a number of relatively recent biosimilar launches that can help to shape our expectations of the financial impact that could result from this year’s big event. Savings from biosimilars have accelerated significantly in the past few years. There has been a number of relatively recent biosimilar launches that can help to shape our expectations of the financial impact that could result from this year’s big event.

Description: "The ACA RADV Program will begin to impact issuers’ risk transfers in the 2018 benefit year (BY) – potentially significantly. The program is expected to continue into the 2019 BY and beyond. Therefore, health actuaries working in the ACA market need to understand this program and its potential impact.The session includes panel experts who will provide attendees with high-level overview of the program, discuss the findings from a national study, and RADV’s ultimate impact to risk transfers, as well as downstream impacts to financial and pricing decisions. The nationwide study is based on 300+ issuers’ 2016 RADV results and contains emerging insights into the new ACA RADV program otherwise unavailable. The panel’s agenda will include:1. A succinct overview of the ACA RADV Program will be provided2. Summary of a national 2016 ACA RADV pilot study results and its findings. 3. Preliminary results from a national 2017 RADV study will be discussed (or CMS published results if available prior to session). 4. Walkthrough of how RADV results impact the overall risk adjustment transfers in the ACA market. 5. Finally, the panel will discuss RADV impact to issuer’s financial accruals and pricing strategy. 6. General Q&A, discussion"

Description: Enterprise Risk Management is often thought to be synonymous with managing an insurance company toward financial objectives with a focus on insurance-specific risks. Some might argue though that operational risks are the crux of all risks confronted by an insurance company and ultimately drive the company’s outcomes.Operational risk is the risk of impact on financial outcomes due to operational events, involving internal systems, personnel, procedures or controls, and also external events. Operational risk exists in all business activities, covering fraud, human error, accounting errors, legal actions and system failures. All of these activities could occur during the course of conducting day-to-day business operations. Additionally, insurance executives must consider the pace of change in the external environment and potential impacts on their business. This presentation is focused on operational risks, current and emerging, faced by health insurance companies.

Description: Actuaries are leveraging predictive modeling and machine learning more and more as they strive to provide greater value to their stakeholders. Actuarial standards of practice provide guidance around modeling and data. The world has changed significantly over the last few years, so it is important these models be tested for fairness as well as any statistical biases. This article addresses some of the key issues actuaries need to be aware of as Corporations and society work through the responsible us of this technology and underlying data.

Description: This is Part 2 of 2 on changes affecting Medigap insurers. It focuses on marketing and regulatory differences between Medigap and Medicare Advantage that affect the competitiveness of Medigap plans.

Description: During the past few years, performance, cost, and risk trends for Medigap products have undergone substantial changes. Some of these trends could ease cost pressures on Medigap insurers, while others might increase them. Part 1 of this Issue Brief article discusses current changing trends and considerations around about how they are impacting Medigap.

Description: Discussion of how to mature value-based contracts between health insurers and provider organizations to improve population health and financial sustainability. Centers around contract parameter consistency, revenue predictability and risk assessment. Intended audience are health plan and ACO actuaries and leaders. Authors are writing from the provider perspective in value-based contracts.

Description: This article describes Medicare Supplement and short-term care products in more detail, and we compare their risk profiles. We explore the concept that these two products—when offered together—may provide a complementary hedge of certain policyholder behavior risks.

Description: On December 21, 2018, the Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the final rule for Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) in the Medicare Shared Savings Program. 'Pathways to Success' makes sweeping changes and will push ACOs to assume financial risk more quickly. This session will discuss the key changes in the final rule, reasons why providers would remain in the program while being forced to downside risk, and how actuaries can add value to providers who will be taking on millions of dollars of risk in the coming years.