Description: Read the March 2020 issue of In The Public Interest published by the Social Insurance & Public Finance Section. Newsletters provide practical information for the working actuary, articles on trends that impact sections and news about section activities.

Description: As we entered 2014, actuaries became familiar with three risk stabilizing mechanisms in the early years of the ACA marketplaces, colloquially known as 'the 3Rs'. As we enter 2024, there is renewed focus on rating compliance and risk adjustment. Speakers will highlight pricing considerations when determining cost-sharing reduction premium loads as well as related issues pertaining to risk adjustment and metal tier pricing.

Description: While states face a wide variety of circumstances and have implemented diverse approaches to the MOE phase-out, we revisit the conversation to discuss emerging experience across stakeholders as we examine the operationalization of the PHE unwinding as it relates to this major disruptor in the distribution of the healthcare enrollment.

Description: This document is from the Digest of Informal Discussion, Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1955 Volume 7, Number 17. It provides the names of the individuals contributing to the discussion along with a summary of their remarks. The discussion covers social security in Canada and the U.S., including principles underlying recent and prospective developments, inconsistency and overlapping among different systems, types of benefits and benefit levels, use of private carriers and self-administered plans, and types of plans and coverages.

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: This panel discussion is from the 1991 Meeting of the Society of Actuaries, held June 3-5 in Colorado Springs. The panelists discuss current issues with respect to the Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid programs, including controlling Medicare costs, Parts A and B, covering the uninsured under Medicaid, and the Social Security Old Age and Survivors and Disability Insurance, ‘OASDI,’ trust funds, and their relationship with the overall federal budget and whether trust fund build up can affect aggregate national savings. Long range projections and assumptions, and the recommendations of the OASDI Technical Panel are examined. From the Record of Society of Actuaries Vol. 17, No. 3B.

Description: The article first tries to determine a consensus view of what social security should accomplish and then tries to measure how well the current level of benefits succeeds in meeting these goals. Assessing benefit adequacy is an essential element in putting the overall program on a sound financing footing.

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