Description: This article is a summary of the SOA Research Institute report published in April 2023 on Megatrends Impacting the Future of Retirement Plans.

Description: This article provides an overview of behavioral economic theory as it relates to health and welfare insurance plans and provides summaries of two sample applications of the theories: enrollment in health insurance exchanges created by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and product design considerations in light of vast health illiteracy.

Description: The Part D program is funded through a variety of government subsidies and manufacturer discounts. The federal reinsurance, initially designed as protection from catastrophic spending, became a primary source of subsidies for the program. When the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is fully implemented in 2025, the funding of Part D will realign to its original intent.

Description: "Examine the impact of traditional deductibles on health care equity and the need for innovative plan designs. You will learn about the limitations of consumer-driven health care costs broadly today, as well as alternative cost-sharing approaches that have been successful in driving consumerism without exposing members to high costs. By attending the session, you will be able to: Have a clearer understanding of the issues surrounding deductibles Be equipped with practical ideas for creating more equitable and effective cost-sharing solutions Assess the feasibility and potential impact of implementing these solutions for your own organization"

Description: This article is part of a 2 part series on real options analysis (ROA). Before you can understand the limitations of ROA, you must first understand the difference between risk and uncertainty. This article goes into detail explaining the vast differences between the two phenomena.

Description: This is the second part of a 2 part series on Real options analysis (ROA). This article looks into the limitations of using financial option theory when doing real options analysis with projects that are long-dated and uncertain, such as: 1. First-degree homogeneity, 2. Uncertainty must derive from Brownian motion, and 3. Risk neutrality.

Description: Re/insurance rates have been increasing since 2018, although pricing momentum has decelerated recently. Insurers and reinsurers are working to enhance profitability and improve the value proposition for clients in an environment of uncertainty about natural catastrophes, COVID-19-related losses, and social inflation, among other factors. This article describes drivers of the current underwriting cycle, compares it with past cycles, and provides considerations for the future.

Description: While the major market crash subsequent to the widespread contagion of the COVID-19 virus was readily predictable, the rapid recovery and ongoing growth subsequent to it was not. Market dynamics around the recovery resist characterization by most traditional analytical approaches. In examining the circumstances around the emergence of a large retail class of investors, one sees that ingrained human tendencies, particularly optimism bias, have fueled much investor behavior responsible for the recovery. Understanding this makes it possible to predict potential future crashes and develop behavioral interventions for subsequent market recoveries.

Description: MACRA not only impact providers, it will impact the entire healthcare market. MACRA published studies and commentary to date have primarily focused on providers, with the majority of the information addressing the impacts to clinicians. However, our investigation indicates MACRA has far reaching impacts to payers as well as providers. MACRA is impacting each geographic market and line of business in a unique way, and health payers will have multiple strategic decisions to consider given the changing market dynamics.

Description: "Most patients enter the health care system through their primary care provider or through the Emergency Room or an Urgent Care Center. How an emergency room is structured, managed, and provides care is one of the major forces impacting the total cost of care. Yet it is often an after-thought and ignored by both health plans and health systems. In reality, the structured introduction of efficient practices can substantially reduce the quantity and cost of health care services. Further explore useful information to better understand and see how there are still substantial opportunities for improvement."