Description: A rethinking of current provider reimbursement, focusing on incentives instead of simply cutting fees. The recommended 2-pronged approach would feature integrated provider organizations as well as evidence-based decision making organized around episodes of care.

Description: High points of AcademyHealth’s LTC group policy seminar are discussed, including the relationship between post-acute care PAC and long-term care bundling PAC payments and the implications of research in this area of long-term care.

Description: The article looks back at the development of life protection product underwriting and pricing in UK. It describes the development in waves of change, looking at different drivers, e.g. consolidation of the life insurance industry, the role of technology as a driver for efficiency gains via electronic underwriting. Different levels of sophistication are being discussed and possible implications for the relationship between direct offices and reinsurers. This rather thought provoking article is based upon Munich research as well as market experience and ties in with a number of current topics as for example potential changes as a result of the Retail Distribution Review and the Gender Directive implementation.

Description: Disease management DM is increasingly encountered in health plans and employer groups as a health care intervention targeted to individuals with chronic diseases chronics. The untested assumption is that without DM, the chronic and non-chronic trends are identical. From Financing Chronic Care Monograph, M-HB05-1.

Description: Update from the Health Section Council Chairperson on council activities.

Description: The SOA’s recent work related to public policy research and an update on the General Insurance track.

Description: As a dementing disorder progresses, those affected become more dependent, requiring increasing personal care. This articlle discusses the economic and emotional impact of cognitive claims on families and on the LTC industry, practices under the current industry paradigm, new research, and treatments on the horizon.

Description: This article is a brief overview of what the Health Actuarial Research Initiative, HARI, is and what the participants in HARI will be doing. HARI is a project formed by the Society of Actuaries that will develop actuarial research studying changes in health care systems.

Description: Chairperson's update on the Long-Term Care Insurance Section with a focus on the progress made since the Think Tank meeting held in October and the addition of Rhonda Ahrens to coordinate outreach to regulatory members.

Description: A report on the proceedings of the June 2010 SOA health meeting. Leading topics included health care reform, opportunities to expand actuaries' roles, the global financial crisis, and collaboration with other organizations.