Description: Part 1 of a 2-part series exploring implementation issues for the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 MHPAEA. Part 2 addresses the new enforcement safe harbor, how the regulations could impact the business of behavioral health care and the impending decisions for payors, employers, providers, and insureds.

Description: Rick Foster, chief actuary at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services discusses public policy

Description: Article on the history of the Long Term Care Discussion Group, a Washington DC-based venue for discussing long-term care and related issues for over 20 years.

Description: Corin Chapman explores the many perspectives to consider when determining appropriate insurance regulation.

Description: In this discussion, experts in specific areas reported on recent and current happenings in their field. These include HMOs and manged care, Congressional legislation initiatives, disability insurance and mergers and acquisitions within the health providers/insurers. From Record of Society of Actuaries, Vol. 22, No. 2.

Description: A look at the career and accomplishments of Julia Philips, the only health actuary employed at the Minnesota Department of Commerce. She believes her learn-by-doing attitude has allowed her to build a career she enjoys, which includes her to work to promote consumer protection, volunteer with many organizations, and implement health reform.

Description: Stakeholders in a specific state (Minnesota) were interviewed about the potential value -- and obstacles -- of a catastrophic backstop program to handle long term care (LTC) financing needs. The design would entail a payroll deduction which would produce a fund to pay LTC expenses once a deductible period (of 1 to 4 years, depending on income) was reached. This design was believed to encourage enrollees to cover the front end better than done today, whether by private insurance or other means.

Description: Research report sponsored by SOA to model and compare projected costs of different proposals for a Medicare prescription drug coverage plan. 3 types of costs are studied: net benefit cost estimates per member per month, continuance table data, and projected annual costs to the government over 10 years for two selected plan designs.

Description: A consideration of the issues involved in adding long-term care provisions to the social security system in France, and how the conditions differ from those in the U.S.

Description: Report on the activities of the Academy’s health practice council and its work groups.