Description: Essay stating accessibility, affordability and efficiency are the key to success in the future of healthcare.

Description: An update on HMO market trends and reinsurance products, and services supporting them.

Description: This article discusses the growing number of cases of dementia and its effects on economics and loved ones.

Description: This article presents a view of health care as an economic system, suggests a framework for classifying current criticisms of the system, and offers references for further reading.

Description: Direct Primary Care (DPC) is a newer model of primary care delivery in which patients or employers pay for care directly on a membership basis; insurance and other third-party payment is not used. Early studies show significantly improved patient health outcomes and lower expenditures for DPC patients compared with similar patients receiving traditionally delivered primary care. Additional research is needed to better understand physician perspectives about the model and the role of patient selection in early results.In this session we discuss research projects that may shed light on the DPC model and on whether early results indicate more about the model or about the patients who use it.We discuss an SoA research project that interviews DPC physicians to better understand their views about the model and its early results. We also discuss a paper that analyzes characteristics of patients who receive primary care from a DPC physician and compares them to characteristics of patients who receive primary care in more traditional ways. This cross-sectional study surveys all adult patients of a convenience sample of several DPC practices. Variables include demographics, socio-economic status (SES), type of additional coverage (if any), whether DPC fees are paid by an employer, and self-reported health status. The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey is the main source of comparison data. For a given cohort of demographics and additional coverage, we determine whether DPC patients have similar health status, demographics and SES as non-DPC patients. This study will provide insight into the degree of selection into DPC by observable patient characteristics.

Description: Ignite-style presentations feature presenters who get 20 slides, which automatically advance every 15 seconds. The result is a fast and fun presentation which lasts just five minutes.The first portion of this session will feature public health experts doing Ignite-style presentations on various public health topics. Then stick around for the second portion when all of the presenters will take part in a moderated, talk-show-style discussion. You'll get a chance to ask your questions and dig deeper into the topics you just heard about. Be prepared for a fast-paced, thought-provoking session that you'll remember long after it ends!

Description: This is Appendix B to the research report measuring the annual frequency of medical errors in the United States and the total measurable cost to the United States economy of these errors. See the SOA web site research section for the full report.

Description: Report on the activities of the Academy’s health practice council and its work groups.

Description: Research report sponsored by SOA to model and compare projected costs of different proposals for a Medicare prescription drug coverage plan. 3 types of costs are studied: net benefit cost estimates per member per month, continuance table data, and projected annual costs to the government over 10 years for two selected plan designs.

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.