Description: Issue No. 36. Article discusses new Medicare Options for Seniors Private Fee-For-Service plans and Medicare Medical Savigns Accounts MSA

Description: Interview with Cori Uccello, senior health fellow for the American Academy of Actuaries.

Description: This article talks about forging relationships between Health actuaries and CMS. Issue No. 60

Description: Update on Health Section research projects and topics, including health care reform, complexity science, and strategic planning.

Description: This article reviews Canada's Medicare Plan, the Chaoulli Supreme Court decision and looks at factors affecting waiting times. From Health Watch Newsletter, May 2006, Issue No. 52.

Description: Article describes how Medicare Medical Savings Plans work and why they would be attractive option for insurance companies.

Description: Joe Wurzburger, Staff Fellow at the SOA, shares his views and insights about the health care industry in general and the Health Section's role in particular.

Description: What are Biosimilar drugs? Are they the same as generic drugs? What potential impact might Biosimilars have in the United States prescription drug landscape and it’s economics? This article explores those questions as well as exclusivity and interchangeability.

Description: When designing and pricing a healthcare product, it is not only important to know how to model frequency and severity, but it is essential to understand human behavior. Of course, the issue of anti-selection in medical insurance is well known as individuals know more about their health and prior expenditures than an insurer does. This type of behavior is certainly rational, and to be expected.

Description: On average, contracts receiving their first star rating receive 3.20 stars, compared to existing or established contracts receiving 3.90 stars on average. This 0.70 disparity in quality ratings creates significant hardship on new contracts when this lower star rating decreases their payments in the following calendar year. This article explores the disparity in Medicare Advantage Star Ratings between contracts receiving their first star ratings (“New” contracts) and existing contracts, including: 1. Understanding what happens to Medicare Advantage Payments when contracts receive lower star ratings? – What is the Star Rating cliff and why does it matter to new contracts? 2. Explaining when a contract receives their first star rating and how much enrollment this requires – When does the Star Rating cliff occur? 3. Noting which specific star measures “New” contracts struggle with, including those contracts under large parent organizations, contracts with rapid growth, and all other new contracts. – How can my contract avoid the Star Rating cliff?