Description: Article examines a proposed amendment to the MAP-21 Act that would have changed a number of tax requirements regarding so-called life settlements.

Description: A discussion about regulators, lawmakers, actuaries and insurers working together to keep health insurance costs affordable to the consumer but also profitable enough for insurers to continue to offer the product.

Description: This is a Request for Proposals (RFP) issued by the SOA Research Institute (SOARI) seeking research studies related to anxiety, depression, and their impact on mortality in the United States.

Description: “E-Cigarettes: A Hazard or a Help?” by Sam Gutterman was published online in the North American Actuarial Journal on December 18, 2019, and in print in Volume 24, 2020–Issue 4. This essay is the author’s update to the original paper; it has not been peer-reviewed. The essay is solely an expression of the views, opinions, and ideas of the essay author for applying the original research to actuarial work.

Description: Risk Adjustment continues to be a hot topic in Health Insurance since its emergence. This mechanism came into being as a means of reducing the risk of selection, particularly in marketplaces where underwriting is not allowed, and rating factors are significantly restricted. Risk adjustment serves to adjust premiums to reflect the risk of individual members or overall members as a whole within a particular cohort of a health plan. Risk adjustment is not perfect, as it does not perfectly predict future costs or perfectly adjust for the differences in expected costs. Different marketplaces have different challenges with risk adjustment.

Description: The Health Care Cost Trends Strategic Research Committee is looking for a research proposal that will examine the increased uptake of diabetes drugs on overall medical trends as well as the costs of individuals who are prescribed these drugs.

Description: The SOA Research Institute has been publishing its annual Getzen Model of Long-Run Medical Cost Trends for the past decade. The Health Care Cost Trends Strategic Research Committee is looking for a researcher to build on the legacy of the Getzen model and provide annual updates to the SOA’s long-term health care trend projections.

Description: There are growing concerns that the Asian bird flu virus will evolve into a form that can be transmitted from human to human, thus unleashing a new global flu pandemic. This article uses the Spanish flu epidemic and the German life insurance portfolio to analyze the additional claims expenditure due to a pandemic.

Description: Electronic Health Records, or EHRs, are a major worldwide initiative to eliminate paper recordings – including Attending Physician Statements (APSs) – of an individual’s medical history and current treatment.

Description: The Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI) recently released their annual health care cost and utilization report on February 13, 2020. This report illustrates employer group commercial health care costs and trends from 2014 – 2018.