Description: Panel discussion about ways can insurance carriers and health care coalitions work together, what data are coalitions requesting from health carriers, how health carriers respond to those requests, and implications for health carriers.

Description: Presenter describes many of the desirable characteristics of a health care financing system, and alternative health care financing systems as they are found in other parts of the world. The advantages and disadvantages of each alternative system are also discussed. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Vol. 24, No. 2.

Description: In this article, the authors explore how the recession has impacted new member enrollment in the various state health care programs and the resulting impact on trend.

Description: Panel discusses the effects of reduced payment levels to many Medicare managed care organizations. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Vol. 24, No. 2.

Description: Panelists discuss the methods HMOs employ to measure their providers' quality of care, outcomes, compliance with best practice guidelines, and cost control. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Vol. 25, No. 2.

Description: An economic analysis of bariatric surgery and health care costs supports the case for health plans to cover these procedures.

Description: This session is about regulatory constraints and the role the NAIC is playing to help facilitate 24-hour programs, plan design issues, the use of managed care, coverage as part of a workers' compensation plan versus coverage of health care outside of the workers' compensation system. From Record of Society of Actuaries Vol. 18, No. 4A.

Description: A review of the academic article "Health Insurance for ‘Humans’: Information Frictions, Plan Choice, and Consumer Welfare."

Description: This paper reviews the recently published Canadian literature on changing Canadian demographic profiles and highlights the actuarial aspects of the information provided therein. Discussions of this paper are included.

Description: This paper describes in detail each of five options available to small Texas employers wanting to purchase insurance for their employees. It then describes the advantages and disadvantages to the various players: carriers, employers, employees, and agents. It points out that each player will act in its own interest.