Description: There have been a variety of proposals related to expanding eligibility for Medicare, ranging from a publicly funded program to a full buy-in option. This session will explore the actuarial implications of various buy-in proposals and the potential impact that such policy changes could have on the health care market landscape. In particular, we will discuss the ways in which program eligibility requirements, plan designs, provider reimbursement arrangements, network design, rating rules, and subsidies could affect premium levels and membership volume in a Medicare buy-in market, as well as the potential side effects on providers and existing health care markets.

Description: The Triple Aim is a vision to improve the health of populations, create a better quality of life, and reduce per capita spending for the benefit of communities.(http://www.ihi.org/Topics/TripleAim/Pages/default.aspx) While much public attention on wellness has focused on topics such as obesity and smoking, it would be beneficial if greater emphasis was placed on raising the bar of oral health. The mouth plays an important role in overall health and wellness. Routine oral care helps prevent dental problems and appears to positively affect chronic conditions before they develop into complex, more expensive ones. This purpose of this session is to increase awareness of the importance of oral health, the consequences of poor oral health, and the link with socioeconomic characteristics. This session will explore and highlight studies completed in this space by both researchers and payers. Actuaries interested in learning more about the impact of oral health and overall health, relevant interventions that have been undertaken, areas for potential financial savings, and issues relating to public policy applicable to oral health would benefit from attending this session.

Description: Essay reforming healthcare where participants have a vested interest in reaching the best answer.

Description: This is one of a series of SOA-sponsored papers on the subject of Evaluating the Results of Care Management Interventions. This paper addresses the theory of measurement design and provides a practical evaluation of the most common designs for the practitioner.

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: The session covers strategies and products health plans are developing to address consumer choice. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Volume 27, No. 1, Session 121

Description: In the evolving realm of healthcare actuarial practice, value-based contracts are reshaping the landscape. This article explores the pivotal role of AI-enhanced Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) in empowering actuaries to navigate this dynamic sector. Despite challenges in data standardization, AI-enhanced EMRs offer a solution by extracting and standardizing diverse medical records. The article delineates how AI-EMR integration benefits actuaries and provider organizations, enabling more accurate forecasting, earlier shared savings prepayments, and real-time quality metric aggregation. Moreover, it discusses how this fusion addresses historical data limitations, can help project catastrophic claims, and can help identify risk score capture opportunities. Ultimately, it indicates the transformative potential of AI-EMR synergy, positioning actuaries at the forefront of healthcare analytics with unprecedented precision and insight.

Description: On average, contracts receiving their first star rating receive 3.20 stars, compared to existing or established contracts receiving 3.90 stars on average. This 0.70 disparity in quality ratings creates significant hardship on new contracts when this lower star rating decreases their payments in the following calendar year. This article explores the disparity in Medicare Advantage Star Ratings between contracts receiving their first star ratings (“New” contracts) and existing contracts, including: 1. Understanding what happens to Medicare Advantage Payments when contracts receive lower star ratings? – What is the Star Rating cliff and why does it matter to new contracts? 2. Explaining when a contract receives their first star rating and how much enrollment this requires – When does the Star Rating cliff occur? 3. Noting which specific star measures “New” contracts struggle with, including those contracts under large parent organizations, contracts with rapid growth, and all other new contracts. – How can my contract avoid the Star Rating cliff?

Description: Discussion and Opinion on how randomness affects measurement of provider contracting risk-sharing agreements