Description: This is the English version of the research report, “Funding Public Health Insurance Plans Canada and Globally”. This report briefly looks at the actual health care funding models and metrics in seven countries (Canada, Sweden, France, Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States) along with health care metrics for another 13 countries (20 OECD countries in total). This report also suggests a number of possible areas where actuaries could provide expertise to assist in the management of public health care plans.

Description: The objective of this project is to summarize the existing literature on end of life issues of interest to actuaries, and to document a broad list of such articles. The end of life issues explored are multi-dimensional and from multiple perspectives. When considering cost implications of end of life care, it is necessary to consider cost in a broad context as it is a measure that cannot solely be defined by dollars. Other dimensions of cost, such as quality of care, family care giving, communication, patient preferences and access to care, should also be explored.

Description: Recognizing the importance of fortifying risk adjustment programs against selection based on nontraditional variables, the Society of Actuaries’ Health Section sponsored an in-depth study into the relationship of nontraditional variables with health costs. This report presents the results of this study.

Description: This project shows how to use agent-based models to simulate the behaviors of agents in complex health systems.

Description: To analyze potential significant disruptors that could negatively affect a company’s financials.

Description: This report evaluates alternative payment models that potentially could be instituted by healthcare payers and manufacturers.

Description: The Canadian public health care delivery system continues to experience growing needs for increased funding. The total health care delivery system today costs Canadians $98 billion a year or about 9.7 percent of GDP. Of that total cost, 71 percent is paid by the government, which means the taxpayers. While that may pale in comparison to the costs in the U.S., it does make the Canadian system one of the five most expensive health care delivery systems in the world. While today’s cost pressures are of major concern, of even more concern are the costs being projected by many participants in the current health care debate for the period when the Baby Boom makes higher demands on the Canadian health care delivery system. Traditional projection methods, however, do not differentiate between the elderly who survive the year versus those who die as to their use of health care systems. This paper first looks at the impact that this differentiation could have on projected costs. Second, the paper looks at the impact that the wide use of Advance Directives [also called Living Wills] might have on future health care costs and some of the issues surrounding their use. From Actuarial Research Clearing House 2004, Vol. 1.

Description: The Canadian Institute of Actuaries (CIA) and the Society of Actuaries (SOA) are pleased to make available a resource model that provides long-run (to 2050 and beyond) forecasts of health care spending in Canada.

Description: This project shows how to use agent-based models to simulate the behaviors of agents in complex health systems.

Description: This research report provides an evaluation and synthesis of the methodologies and data samples used on characterizing health care fraud.