Description: Most health care delivered in the United States is based on the acute care model: it is episodic has a beginning, middle and end usually the patient recovers and interventions are designed to target a specific pathophysiologic abnormality. Chronic disease care, in contrast, often has no clear beginning and no end the focus is on managing over the long term with prevention of progression and complications. Further, many chronic diseases “travel together” comorbidities: for example, diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease CAD, heart failure, cerebrovascular disease, peripheral arterial disease and renal dysfunction are often found together.

Description: Essay states a competing American ideals for the U.S. Health care system include free markets which foster competition, cost effectiveness and quality health care vs.public and private assistance which provides health care independent of a person’s financial means.

Description: Abstract: The percentage of the population who are obese has grown dramatically worldwide over the last several decades, although stabilizing recently in the United States. Studies have found the effects on mortality to be inconsistent and controversial because of methodological differences and the complexity of the relationship between obesity and mortality. This paper discusses this relationship and sheds light on the likely effects of this epidemic. Issues associated with the so-called obesity-mortality paradox, where mortality experience is lower for those individuals who are overweight and in some who are obese compared with the mortality of those in the normal weight category, are examined. Although certain recently reported studies of the relationship between mortality and obesity indicate that obesity is related to a reduced percent of additional mortality, this may in part be due to the shorter average time that those currently obese have been exposed to their condition. Nevertheless, the amount of health care costs and rates of disability associated with being obese are significant, contributing to the increase in overall health care costs as they become more numerous and age. Although obesity is being addressed with a great deal of activity and publicity, they will continue to prove challenging for individuals and society to manage and overcome.

Description: With so many different models and ways of building them, the task of organizing our thinking about models can seem overwhelming. The paper proposes a framework of four categories of models and seven attributes. By comparing each model category across these attributes, it provides insight into practical questions like, "are some modeling approaches inherently better than others?" and "how should the level and type of model risk management effort depend on model category?"

Description: We develop a model based on causal mortality in order to better understand inequalities in life expectancy across socioeconomic circumstances.

Description: This is the abstract for the paper, The Need for Coordinated Care for Depression, and the Need for Creative Innovation by Stephen P. Melek, FSA.

Description: This is the abstract for the paper, The Cost and Benefits of Treating Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus as a Chronic Condition by Robert D. Lieberthal.

Description: With so many different models and ways of building them, the task of organizing our thinking about models can seem overwhelming. The paper proposes a framework of four categories of models and seven attributes. By comparing each model category across these attributes, it provides insight into practical questions like, "are some modeling approaches inherently better than others?" and "how should the level and type of model risk management effort depend on model category?"

Description: This article addresses a specific PGAAP issue companies have faced recently in implementing PGAAP, specifically, whether it is appropriate, under current purchase accounting guidance, to defer heaped renewal commissions. From Society of Actuaries Financial Reporting Monograph, M-AS99-1.

Description: Generally, the assets acquired by financial institutions have their values determined by established capital markets. However, the firm's liabilities become customer's' private placement assets and their value must be calculated by the firm. This monograph discusses the theoretical bases for modeling the liabilities consistently with the assets. From Asset-Liability Integration, M-FI02-1.