Description: Essay discussing that the two factors that affect healthcare cost are costs and the fact that people lack coverage.

Description: This paper discussed providing consumers of medical care with transparent and comparable price and quality information to enable them to make economically optimal decisions.

Description: A new initiative, Commercial Health Care: What’s Next, will focus on education and research for health actuaries regarding issues that remain with the ACA.

Description: A summary of Medicare reform and its effect on prescription drug coverage.

Description: This article provides the perspective of the Health Section's chairperson on Section activities, educational programs and the US healthcare environment.

Description: This essay discusses the long overdue effciencies that would improve the quality of healthcare in the United States.

Description: There have been a variety of proposals related to expanding eligibility for Medicare, ranging from a publicly funded program to a full buy-in option. This session will explore the actuarial implications of various buy-in proposals and the potential impact that such policy changes could have on the health care market landscape. In particular, we will discuss the ways in which program eligibility requirements, plan designs, provider reimbursement arrangements, network design, rating rules, and subsidies could affect premium levels and membership volume in a Medicare buy-in market, as well as the potential side effects on providers and existing health care markets.

Description: This article compares the Prescription Drug Plan (PDP) market to the commercial individual market exchanges included in the Affordable Care Act. PDP carrier actions to date could help predict certain aspects of the exchange market.

Description: The medical scheme approach adopted by several African countries has failed to meet the needs of those in informal employment and rural communities. This is partly due to affordability amongst these individuals as well as a lack of awareness of how healthcare financing products work. Community based healthcare organisations have achieved greater levels of success in this regard by carefully incorporating the peculiarities of communities in benefit design and involving community members in the management of these healthcare solutions. There are lessons to be garnered from the countries where these have been implemented with some level of success. Even as countries aim towards universal health coverage, observing the unique needs of different communities within a country is essential to ensure resources are utilised efficiently and that healthcare needs are targeted effectively.

Description: This article provides an overview of the key provisions and impacts of the Affordable Care Act's Cadillac Plan Excise Tax.