Description: From a session at a meeting of the Society of Actuaries held in San Diego, CA, June 22-23, 2000 This session provides a brief overview of futurism techniques which can be employed in the strategic planning process, such as environmental scans or Delphi studies. A case study approach is used to provide attendees with a hands-on learning process.

Description: Explores the open vs. closed systems debate with regards to actuarial modeling and exposes the over-simplification. Valuable for anyone who uses models.

Description: A proposal to address provider payment issues by gradually moving to accountable care organizations. Capitations would be risk-adjusted, non-capitated costs would be covered by hospitalization fund and stoploss, incentives for quality & effective preventive care would be tied to the amount remaining in the fund, and government involvement would be through incentives rather than mandate.

Description: Introduction to academicians, practitioners, and gerontologists who comprise the Funding Longevity Task Force at the American College of Financial Services.

Description: Panel discussion of prospects for cost containment of, and alternatives to, fee-for-service health care, and management of health care under national health insurance. Discussion points include cost containment devices, HMOs, economic impact, cost escalation, self-insurance, stop-loss, claims administration, loss of state premium taxes, and Phase 3 tax problems under NH1.

Description: Many top-performing businesses aren’t just risk aware, but rather risk intelligent. Such a posture helps prepare companies for a major event and can demonstrate to a regulator or auditor that an appropriately strong control framework is in place. Better still, companies gain real strategic value from a “risk adjusted” understanding not only of their threats and vulnerabilities, but also the upside opportunities associated with various risks. It starts with having both qualitative and quantitative information to identify, assess and manage risks. Strategic risk management, at its core, is about creating value by increasing transparency and accountability, and quality of information. More than a mere compliance exercise, effective risk management enables more informed strategic decision making, increased accountability and transparency, a greater likelihood of organizational success, and – ultimately – competitive advantage, as borne out by many studies that correlate risk management and financial results.

Description: This article charts out a basic framework that should be utilized when undergoing optimization of reinsurance arrangements.

Description: A strategy is shown to yield greater amount and sustainability of retirement income by coordinating draws from retirement savings and home equity.

Description: The medical scheme approach adopted by several African countries has failed to meet the needs of those in informal employment and rural communities. This is partly due to affordability amongst these individuals as well as a lack of awareness of how healthcare financing products work. Community based healthcare organisations have achieved greater levels of success in this regard by carefully incorporating the peculiarities of communities in benefit design and involving community members in the management of these healthcare solutions. There are lessons to be garnered from the countries where these have been implemented with some level of success. Even as countries aim towards universal health coverage, observing the unique needs of different communities within a country is essential to ensure resources are utilised efficiently and that healthcare needs are targeted effectively.

Description: This article is about how entrepreneur independent business owners can solve their day-to-day frustrations and problems with a simple and useful process for setting goals and building a plan to meet those goals.