Description: This report provides highlights of a weekly survey of practices regarding the mitigation of the spread of COVID-19 in the U.S. during the week ending December 5, 2020 along with a summary for the month of November. The survey asks about the degree to which the respondents perceive that people in their community are following 21 common mitigation practices. The responses are separated by state and compared to state level statistics regarding the level of COVID-19 infections from the Johns Hopkins COVID database for the same time period.

Description: As part of an upcoming Society of Actuaries (SOA) research release to model health care costs in 2020 and 2021, a set of “Return Stages” were created in order to define the various level of activities being observed, as well as to contemplate the ways these stages may progress as various cities, counties and states release their own phasing processes for returning their jurisdictions to normal.

Description: Insurance commissioners and deputy insurance commissioners will discuss current topics including health care reform, life insurance issues, risks in the major medical markets, voluntary products and other topics.

Description: The presenters will explore the roles of mental health and social determinants of health in the management of a population's total health. We will explore how emerging sources of data and information have led to a renewed focus on managing mental health conditions and social determinants of health. Speakers will address current health care programs that utilize this data and information to manage the total care for populations using predictive models to improve the deployment of resources and initiatives to improve the cost of care and health of populations. The presenters will also look at how providers of care are approaching mental health co-morbidities to manage physical health and social determinants of health in the management of patients.

Description: Development of annuities markets is a critical element of any private system. In Mexico, when the new pension regimen came into existence in 1997, the Mexican Institute of Social Security [IMSS] was supposed to buy a single premium annuity for all the people who become eligible under the new regime. Disability pensions represent 37% of total pensions sold up to date. Mortality of disables show substantial differences against the mortality table use to compute the annuity. Most of the differences can be explained by looking at the disability causes. Using information for social security for 2001 and 2002, regarding mortality and disability, this is the abstract of a paper that presents the main causes of disability among disables and the main causes of mortality of those disables who died in their first and second year of disability. The analysis of those cases apart from explaining the important differences between the expected mortality and the observed mortality during the first two years of disability, also explains some of the latter changes in the operational rules of IMSS.

Description: Review a report addressing the increasing prevalence and financial costs of diabetes in the United States.

Description: Moral issues behind paying for a transplant. Issue No. 46.

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?

Description: What is the difference between a Single-Payer and Universal Health Care System, and how could the U.S. implement a system that would reduce the growth of medical costs while increasing quality.

Description: Read the November 26 2019 issue of Health Watch, published by the Health Section. Practical information for actuaries, articles impact sections, section activities.