Description: Summary of the July, 2013 newsletter with an executive overview of each article.

Description: A rethinking of current provider reimbursement, focusing on incentives instead of simply cutting fees. The recommended 2-pronged approach would feature integrated provider organizations as well as evidence-based decision making organized around episodes of care.

Description: Article provides an excellent summary of the importance of mathematics, computer models for determining the future for human-based financial security models, and the importance of recognizing how human behavior effects the financial security program.

Description: A suggestion to review and reassess LTC pricing of the last three decades, in light of dangerously inadequate ratesetting in the early years, and the NAIC's introduction of a model rate stability law.

Description: Evan Borisenko looks at previous challenging environments for the life insurance industry, such as the a period of severe stagnation in the 1930s, the increased inflation in the 1980s and a catastrophe like the Spanish influenza after the World War I. Evan explains that "while each event described above challenged the life insurance industry in a unique way, each event stimulated an equally unique solution." The article concludes that we "fight to repeat history" in a way that we as actuaries should be able to propose unique solutions with when faced with crisis in the future.

Description: This article from major US payers describes palliative care as a scaleable means of improving quality and reducing costs during serious and complex illness.