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: The article describes the Health Sections strategic initiative for Public Health and the role of the actuary.

Description: This article summarizes the presentations by the Society of Actuaries and the Academy of Actuaries at the January 2015 National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI) Roundtables in Washington DC. SOA presented on the 2014 SOA monograph series "The Link between Retirement Security and Long-Term Care."

Description: Taxes and Fees Introduced by the ACA

Description: A compilation of feedback from actuaries in the Health Section of the affects of the ACA.

Description: The article discusses the sustainability of the ACA individual market from a public entitlement standpoint. A key point of measuring sustainability is the reliance on market forces rather than federal budget constraints. The article explains why an actuarial viewpoint of sustainability is necessary to a greater extent than other public assistance and social insurance programs. The article challenges actuaries to be a bold, objective voice in a space that is full of opinionated but often uninformed viewpoints.

Description: Rising drug—and, to a lesser extent, health care—costs in Canada are creating long-term challenges for not only governments and employers across Canada but for individuals as well, with no easy answers.

Description: The presenters will discuss recent regulatory changes that allow some long-term care benefits to be included in Medicare Advantage plans. Hear an overview of what has become available in the market and what might happen in the near future.

Description: A discussion of the impact of the June, 2012 U.S. Supreme Court decision on Medicaid expansion and the financial impications for states.

Description: The presenters will compare and contrast the Canadian public (and, to a lesser extent, private) health care system in juxtaposition to U.S. health care. Specialized knowledge of either system is not required. The presentation will focus on cost containment strategies balanced against effective health care services. Differentiation of strategies, such as wellness and prevention in contrast to diagnosis and treatment, will be discussed.