Description: Actuaries have the business acumen, problem-solving capabilities, and technical skills to develop innovative and data-driven solutions in the social insurance space. It is time we expand our scope and embrace an increased role in making a positive impact within the health care ecosystem. The primary focus of this paper is on social insurance programs dedicated to the most vulnerable population: low-income families accessing care through Medicaid. While there are numerous challenges that require other subject matter experts to take the lead, this article highlights topics where actuaries can be key players in developing and implementing tangible solutions to improve the care for the most vulnerable. Issues and solutions in this paper focus on the following three areas: 1. Access to appropriate care, 2. continuity of care, and 3. social determinants of health.

Description: This article describes Singapore's Central Provident Fund and how it involves government, employers and employees in a cooperative partnership for mandatory savings and investment to assist with the primary lifetime goals of home ownership, medical care and retirement provision.

Description: Social Insurance & Public Finance Section council members provide a recap of sessions from the 2021 SOA Health Meeting, with a focus on sessions covering Medicare, Medicaid, the ACA, and public policy. The authors include a description of SIPF Section-sponsored sections, including a session on the ACA and a session on CMS's Direct Contracting Model.

Description: As the topic of affordable long-term care (LTC) insurance comes into focus in political conversations, we often find ourselves thinking, “What is going to happen to the private LTC insurance industry going forward?” The need for LTC in the United States is not going away, especially as the population continues to age. With this in mind, this article explores three possible future paths for LTC insurance funding and the associated implications for the private LTC industry.

Description: State Medicaid agencies have been implementing value-based payment (VBP) models for the last decade and are increasingly exploring advanced population-based payment (PBP) models that increase flexibility, predictability, and accountability for participating provider organizations. PBP models show promise in advancing Medicaid priorities, but are still in the early stages of development, and model design and implementation challenges remain. This article from the Center for Health Care Strategies explores the fundamentals of VBP and how PBP - a particular type of payment model - can help Medicaid agencies achieve goals related to care transformation and quality improvement, revenue stability, and controlling cost of care.

Description: Introduction to the newsletter and general comments. Announces the Call for Essays competition for Social Insurance health topics.

Description: The chairperson of the Social Insurance and Public Finance Section discussed the section's accomplishments, ongoing activities, and plans for future projects.

Description: Reported on what was discussed at the first Council meeting of the Social Insurance & Public Finance Section.

Description: Read the July 2019 issue of In The Public Interest by the Social Insurance and Public Finance Section. Newsletters provide practical information for the working actuary, articles on trends that impact sections and news about section activities.