Description: The US healthcare system is among the world's most advanced, but is the highest-cost by far. At Swiss Re we studied the highest-cost US Medicare beneficiaries during 2016. The Medicare government program primarily covers seniors and individuals with disabilities. Total Medicare spending during 2016 was nearly USD 700,000,000,000. In our study, the 1% of beneficiaries with costs of USD 125,000 or higher generated 15% of total claim costs. Better understanding of these beneficiaries and their treatment could lead to improved quality and efficiency of care. Analysis of their claims can aid projections of the expected level and variance of costs. We calculated claim costs and rates, and identified higher-cost segments (including inpatient claims, individuals with disabilities or end-stage renal disease, Pacific states including California, and men). We look forward to expanding the analysis in future updates.

Description: Feature article describing the benefits of attending the ReFocus meeting.

Description: Feature article discussing how technology is affecting the reinsurance business.

Description: This article looks at how the underwriting process has transformed from a paper process to become fully online. Not only has the process been digitized, there has been various innovations incorporating technology thus enabling large volume process automation, better customer experience as well as higher closing ratio. Other than improvement on speed and efficiency, various smart solutions are being explored to refine risk management through data mining and analysis of underwriting data.

Description: As today's medical and technological advances continue to be utilized and applied to diabetes mellitus (DM), a newer and even more complex framework for the disease is emerging, which may help us further our understanding of it. This article explores the most recent classification update and some of the newer thinking emerging about DM.

Description: Insurance companies significantly expanded their use of life reinsurance throughout the late '90s and early '00s. This has meant that volumes being ceded to the reinsurance market have continued to expand after a brief respite in 2001 through quota share opportunities with direct insurers keeping only a portion of their published retention.

Description: Latest outlook on the market size and recent trends associated with the U.S. and Canada Life Reinsurance markets. The SOA Life Reinsurance Survey is an annual survey that exhibits individual and group life data from U.S. and Canadian life reinsurers. Survey results are based on financial information self-reported by reinsurance entities and include new business production and inforce figures.

Description: If you have an interest in the latest developments in state laws affecting reinsurance, or are concerned about federal activity with regard to terrorism or asbestos or need timely and reliable data on the U.S. reinsurance market you should know about the work of the Reinsurance Association of America RAA.

Description: Feature article discussing the current state of reinsurance for the variable annuity market.

Description: This article discusses the results of the 2018 SOA Life Reinsurance Survey and looks at overall life reinsurance trends.