Description: A preview of the contents of the latest issue, including essays & interviews related to health care reform, provider reimbursements, rate filing review, and medical errors.

Description: Discussion of recent developments in the taxation of noncoordinated benefits such as fixed indemnity, hospital indemnity, and specified disease insurance policies. Developments include a recent Chief Counsel Advice Memorandum and proposed triagency rulemaking that would impact non coordinated benefits.

Description: Feature article discussing the impact of health care reform on the direct insurance market and the reinsurance market.

Description: A review of the 2009 Health Spring Meeting, which included speakers & sessions on the future of the SOA, U.S. health care reform, claims data issues & improvements, predictive modeling, underwriting principles, employer stoploss, cost trends, LTD & disability, and mental health parity regulations.

Description: This article is about the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. This Act revises the Medicare landscape by the creation of Part C - Medicare+Choice, Medical Savings Accounts, payment reforms.

Description: This article is the first in a four-part series about what actuaries see as ideal components of a health care reform package. This part covers health care reform ideas explored at the Conference of Consulting Actuaries’ CCA 2009 Annual Meeting in Tucson, Ariz.

Description: In April, 2009, the Chinese government launched the most comprehensive Health Care System Reform ever. The goal: to establish and improve the basic health care system covering most urban and rural residents, and to provide the people with safe, effective, convenient and affordable health care. There is no doubt that this 'Made in China' health care reform will become the world’s most extensive health care system reform because it will inevitably affect many players in the game such as the local governments who currently administrate the program, the medical professionals who provide the care, the pharmaceutical manufacturers who provide the medicines, and the very large population who participate in the program, etc. This article summarizes the highlights of China's health care reform program.

Description: Savings from biosimilars have accelerated significantly in the past few years. There has been a number of relatively recent biosimilar launches that can help to shape our expectations of the financial impact that could result from this year’s big event. Savings from biosimilars have accelerated significantly in the past few years. There has been a number of relatively recent biosimilar launches that can help to shape our expectations of the financial impact that could result from this year’s big event.

Description: This article explores what American medicine might look like in the year 2000. The author asserts this will depend on the tradeoffs made between quality and availability on the one hand, and cost on the other hand.

Description: The author provides an overview of the Chinese health care system from its beginnings in in 1949 to the present day launching of the most comprehensive reform ever.