Description: This article is an interview with Paul Stordahl on his role in the actuarial profession.

Description: The Health Section's strategic initiative entitled Commercial Health Care: What’s Next? focuses on health care reform. This article contains a summary

Description: The medical and behavioral health care provider communities have long debated whether high-quality behavioral health care reduces medical costs. This presentation from Session 85PD of the SOA 1996 Colorado Springs Meeting reviews past studies relating to medical cost offsets and explores the potential magnitude of such design and delivery of medical and behavioral health care programs to encourage potential health care cost savings and to increase wellness. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Vol. 22, No. 2.

Description: This session presents information sources used in tracking health technologies, the value of health technology assessments and clinical data typically available. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Vol. 31, No. 2, Session 4

Description: Pilot study made determining a satisfactory form for future experience studies under major medical expense insurance.

Description: Because of the expected dramatic rise in chronic disease prevalence due to aging and obesity, and increased cost per case due to new technology and drugs, there has been intense focus on managing the cost of treating chronic diseases. From Financing Chronic Care Monograph, M-HB05-1.

Description: This session discussion is about controls on utilization, eligibility control, pricing considerations, benefit design, mail order programs and physician dispensing. From Record of the Society of Actuaries Vol. 15, No. 1.

Description: This session discussion is about high cost claimants in medical benefit plans and how to control costs and anti-selection. From Record of the Society of Actuaries Vol. 15, No. 3B.

Description: This session is about the details of the inception and implementation of the Oregon Health Plan. From Record of Society of Actuaries Vol. 18, No. 1B.

Description: Countries developing universal health care via an insurance vehicle face a variety of challenges. Deciding which benefits to include, where to proactively manage health, and how to reimburse network providers are just a sampling of the issues governments concurrently manage. Optimal choices are data-driven responses. For example, high rates of cervical cancer or increasing narcotics prescriptions are trends that can be managed through product changes, modified network payment structures, or even employer based outreach. This kind of information is typically gleaned from established health insurance claims data. However, in emerging health insurance markets, this level of granular claims data is largely missing. It is difficult to manage medical trend when the root causes are unclear. This article explores a pilot medical underwriting project in Jordan.