Description: This study was sponsored by the Society of Actuaries Health Section. This paper explores the relative significance of aging as a determinant of financial cost of health care beyond age 50, with particular attention to the effect for ages 65 and older. The paper presents concepts of aging factors and aging curves, which define relative values between ages for utilization or cost of health care services. General conclusions are drawn from Medicare data that utilization and cost differ by age, but that aging factors vary across services and may be less significant at very old ages. The author then turns to the question of measuring the significance of an aging curve assumption and what accuracy is lost in the simpler alternative of a single value across an age range.

Description: This project shows how to use agent-based models to simulate the behaviors of agents in complex health systems.

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: News release on Health Care Costs Institute and it's mission to promote research on the causes of rising U.S health spending.

Description: This SOA report describes the components of margin for calculating capitation rates in a Medicaid context along with practical issues that MCOs may face.

Description: This session discusses affordable health care including cost drivers, trends, the uninsured, federal funding and state initiatives. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Volume 29, No. 2, Session 109

Description: Panelists discuss the current trend environment and estimating future trend. From the Record of the SOA, Vol. 29, No. 2, Session 52

Description: This session from the 2003 SOA Orlando Meeting presents various predictive models, evaluation methodologies, control groups, current and potential uses for predictive modeling and issues surrounding implementation of a predictive modeling process. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Volume 29, No. 3.

Description: Panelists discuss opportunities to improve medical cost trends through underwriting, healthcare benefit designs, contracting, network management, claims operations, and medical management. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Vol. 31, No. 2, Session 40

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.