Description: Article describes several options for limiting increases in health care costs and urges actuarial profession to be more proactive in asdvocating for reform.

Description: Discussion of the implications of the newly unveiled health care reform proposal by Senator Baucus. Key issues include abandonment of the CLASS Act, inclusion of LTC in cafeteria plans, funding and tax concerns, individual mandate, privacy concerns, play-or-pay employer mandate, impact on Medicare and Medicaid, and gridlock in the legislative finalization process.

Description: A discussion of fraud and abuse in the Medicare payment system, and steps to address these problems.

Description: An article in which Robert Laszewski, a Washington health policy strategist, tells us, actuarial science has never been more important to our country.

Description: Projecting start-up capital requirements for Health care co-ops and public plans

Description: Presenter describes many of the desirable characteristics of a health care financing system, and alternative health care financing systems as they are found in other parts of the world. The advantages and disadvantages of each alternative system are also discussed. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Vol. 24, No. 2.

Description: Reviews the book, HMOs and the Politics of Health System Reform, by Joseph Falkson which discusses HMOs' legislative and regulatory structuring.

Description: States can make ACA markets more attractive by enforcing compliance. Unlike other state opportunities, it doesn't cost anything. Pennsylvania made the change this year.

Description: A review of the 2009 Health Spring Meeting, which included speakers & sessions on the future of the SOA, U.S. health care reform, claims data issues & improvements, predictive modeling, underwriting principles, employer stoploss, cost trends, LTD & disability, and mental health parity regulations.

Description: Updates on the efforts of the Academy’s health practice council. its work groups and task forces, to educate health care policymakers on issues including health care reform, Medicare, loss ratios, premium review, reinsurance, benefit and eligibility changes, exchanges, and risk based capital.