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.

Description: 1992 SOA Regional Meeting, Anaheim. This session addressed the product management actuary and the product management process. Topics discussed : 1. The monitoring of the environment and how that monitoring leads to the generation of ideas. 2. Consideration of how those ideas are affected by distribution, marketing, and organizational issues. 3. The setting of assumptions. 4. How to get different areas of your company to work together, and ways to bring the product to market as quickly as possible. 5. How to manage business once your company places it on the books.

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: 1959 SOA Regional Meeting in Atlanta. This discussion covered the advantages and disadvantages of entering the pension field through Ordinary policies or Group Annuities. The panel also discussed considerations in entering the Accident and Sickness field.

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: ReMark's Global Consumer Study delivers 10 key insights to empower customers. Insurers can design products that meet customers' needs and enhance client experiences and add significant value to their business. At the same time with new products being launched seemingly continuously, it is important to take a step back and assess risk throughout the product management cycle.