Description: Realizing the impact of medical errors on the U.S. health care system, the Health Section commissioned a research project to measure the annual frequency of medical errors and their total measurable direct and indirect cost to the economy.

Description: This session discussion is about the new niches in direct response marketing such as new products, database marketing and relationship marketing. From Record of the Society of Actuaries Vol. 15, No. 2.

Description: Health Watch Newsletter, May 2006, Issue No. 52. This article presents information from a recently completed client-sponsored survey of hospital contracting best practices. Individual health plans were evaluated using a structured survey document. The primary objective of the survey was to identify best practices that the client sponsor could implement to improve its already better-than-average hospital contracting practices

Description: Presented at April 1986 Spring Meeting. This session discussion is about participation in alternative delivery systems, direct contracting with medical providers, participation in coalitions, employer demands for data, employer selection criteria for health carriers.

Description: Representatives of various health care professions will address issues such as falling hospital occupancy rates and a growing shortage of primary care physicians. The presenters will then discuss the short-term and long-term effects of these issues on the health care delivery systems on North America. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Vol. 21, No. 3b.

Description: This presentation is a panel discussion from the 1991 Annual Meeting of the Society of Actuaries, held October 20-23 in Toronto. Noting that in today's direct-response marketplace, the consensus is that there are a lot of problems, and some promises, but little, if any, profitability, the panelists discuss long-term care, dread disease, and return of premium [ROP] products, and targeting profitability through research. Discussion from participants is included. From the Record of Society of Actuaries, Volume 17, No. 4A.

Description: Appendix to the Critical Review of Stochastic Simulation Literature and Applications for Health Actuaries. The Development of a Simulation Model of Primary Prevention Strategies for Coronary Heart Disease

Description: In an age of accelerating transformation—technological, financial, and regulatory —reinsurance continues to be an important component of capital management strategy across the insurance industry. This is true in spite of, and sometimes because of, the evolving ecosystems of ceding companies and reinsurers. Direct writers and reinsurance carriers are coping with a number of critical challenges that are undermining growth potential and threatening profitability. Waning demand and increased capacity for traditional products have, in some instances, led companies to struggle to achieve traditional profit targets. An increase in commoditized pricing, internal expenses related to increased regulation, inefficiencies in internal infrastructure, and the sustained low interest rate environment are additional factors impacting the top and bottom lines of reinsurers and primary carriers alike. In this session we will explore these critical challenges and highlight prevailing practices that organizations are using to deal with the changing landscape.

Description: Discussion of ways direct marketers have beaten recessions in the recent past and suggestions for beating this recession.

Description: 1993 SOA Annual Meeting in New York. This session is about core benefit plans from a state and from a national level. Core benefit plan is used interchangeably in this session with standard benefit plan, basic benefit plan, and minimum benefit plan. Topics included: 1. A summary of the legislative process. 2. A summary of options available within the national health-care debate, with a primary focus on the Clinton proposal. 3. The role of core benefit-plans in health-care reform.