Description: The Affordable Act's risk corridor program is a temporary feature that applies to individual and small group QHPs from 2014 through 2016. Designed to protect insurers against pricing uncertainty, the program appears straightforward but has many subtle consequences. In this article, we review the need for risk corridors, the calculation itself, and the implications that result.

Description: The PPACA imposed a market share-based health insurance provider fee, known as the "Section 9010 Fee", "Health Insurer Fee", or simply the "HIF", on each “covered entity” with net premiums written in excess of $25 million that is engaged in the business of providing health insurance coverage for U.S. health risks. This article provides background information to help unpack the language behind the Section 9010 Fee and highlights a few areas of special interest including merger and acquisition-related issues, application of the Section 9010 fee to expatriate plans, and considerations regarding fee administration.

Description: The Brazilian private health care market ended 2010 with US $48 billion worth of premium. This already makes it Latin America’s largest health care market and sixth in the world ranking. This article provides information on the market and opportunity for growth.

Description: Profile of the Health Section.

Description: New research shows that we often make sub-optimal choices, when selecting a health insurance plan, that lead to unnecessary out-of-pocket expenditu

Description: Evaluation of Taiwan's National Health insurance program and a discussion of a managed competition model to reform it.

Description: The authors explain a grassroots model for health-risk pooling that is being used in India. They explain why traditional health insurance models have not worked in this context.

Description: Explanation of Medicare Advantage STAR rating program as it relates to payment rates for MA bids. Also describes important features of the program from an actuarial perspective, how the components of the STAR rating are calculated and implications and considerations for actuaries.