Description: Given the limits of classical actuarial modeling and forecasting techniques, this newsletter contains articles discussing several ways to supplement your toolset.

Description: Statement that the SOA has formed a task force to address the morbidity tables used for minimum reserves of individual and group health insurance contracts. Issue No. 35.

Description: Limitations in actual practice as a health care actuary due to lack of standards, lack of internal data, too much external data, lack of control. Issue No. 38.

Description: This article is an overview of preliminary research on HSAs and Account-Based Health Plans. The summary reviews enrollment, health status, premiums and account information. From Health Watch Newsletter, September 2006, Issue No. 53.

Description: The editor of HealthWatch addresses the readership on actuarial best practices and purpose of ASOPs. Issue No 60

Description: Identifying and submitting all appropriate ICD-9 diagnosis codes to CMS will result in a higher risk score for the member and increased payments to Medicare Advantage plans. Milliman's HCC prevalence study illustrates the significant variations in HCC prevalence rates by age/gender, geography, and population type and will assist plans in benchmarking the effectiveness of their own diagnosis code capture efforts.

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.

Description: Report summarizing the results of the 2009 Policyholder Behavior in the Tail working group with respect to UL policies with Secondary Guarantees Survey.

Description: This project shows how to use agent-based models to simulate the behaviors of agents in complex health systems.

Description: This is a report on Phase 2 of a research project on the role of automated systems in life insurance underwriting. This paper discusses: 1. How and why companies are using automation to make underwriting decisions. 2. Its impact upon operational efficiency, sales, and retention. 3. The quality of risk selection produced by automated systems. 4. Cultural acceptance of increased automation in underwriting. 5. Challenges insurers must overcome to implement and maintain automated underwriting.