Description: This short article presents the latest SOA health research report on alternative payment models for high-cost curative therapies.

Description: Discussion of direct primary care and how it helps with several challenges in health care today. DPC improves care coordination, improves outcomes, improves doctor and patient satisfaction, and reduces spending. DPC successes promote the view that primary care should not be covered by insurance; rather, it should be paid for directly.

Description: Methods and assumptions used in the valuation of savings by external care vendors

Description: This interview article summarizes the work being done by a Health Section Strategic Initiative Committee.

Description: This article provides an in-depth discussion of how subsidies are an integral part of affordability for individual health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, and, ultimately, impact the viability of the market.

Description: As providers are considering accountable and value based care models, it is critical to strategically think through how to achieve a sustainable business model into the future. This requires actuarial and clinical/provider capabilities to assess the care management and financial levers to help a client through the transition.

Description: This article from major US payers describes palliative care as a scaleable means of improving quality and reducing costs during serious and complex illness.

Description: This session will explore the various contracting techniques that CMS, providers, and employers are using to achieve their strategic objectives across both the Commercial and Medicare markets.

Description: The presenters will cover the variation in risk adjustment approaches used across state Medicaid programs and compare them to other Federal programs. Additionally, recent developments, such as the use of OCR to extract data from medical charts for risk adjustment, will be discussed.

Description: This is a regular column highlighting articles of interest to Health Actuaries appearing in the North American Actuarial Journal.