Description: The United Kingdom makes public an impressive body of data about its population, its health system (the NHS), and the care which the NHS provides to the nation. This session will take the audience on a tour of many of these sets - with a focus on uncovering healthcare disparities. For context, a brief description of the NHS in England, population characteristics of England, and how social determinants of health (SDOH) are quantified will be given. With these as a background, we will explore data on chronic disease prevalence and incidence as well as physician performance against targets. We will present examples of health disparities from this data for certain conditions. Datasets of UK prescribing will be shown for further detail. The closing portion of this talk will present similar public domain US data - and how the UK body of information can assist in understanding health disparities in the US.

Description: The SOA has been continuing to highlight the importance of societal purpose across the global actuarial profession, and as a way to attract and retain the next generation of amazing exam candidates and young members. This session will highlight the variety of activities that the SOA and actuaries of all ages are involved in to further drive the profession's societal purpose.

Description: Explore a general overview of the Medicare Advantage VBID hospice model, including program goal and a brief review of available information on plan participation in 2021 and 2022. Join us to learn how the program can support other elements related to health equity and address social determinants of health. You will be able to focus on how to improve quality of life and care using palliative, concurrent and/or transitional care and hospice services. Elevate your understanding with a summary of publicly available hospice experience data published by CMS, as well as a review of published research by the SOA and others related to hospice and end of life care. Finally, expect technical guidance regarding VBID model financial implications and proposed enhancements to the program as CMS transitions from the current model due to expire at end of 2024.

Description: "This session explores the impact of climate change on mortality trends, drawing insights from a South African study that examines the relationship between rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and excess deaths. We will discuss the key findings, statistical methods used (including copulas for dependency modeling), and the broader implications for insurers, reinsurers, and policymakers. The session will also touch on how climate risk is increasingly shaping actuarial assumptions, pricing, and capital management. By the end of this session, participants will: - Understand the relationship between climate change and mortality trends, with a focus on South African data. - Explore statistical methodologies, including copula modeling, to assess dependencies between temperature and excess deaths. - Assess the implications of climate-related mortality risks for life insurance and reinsurance. - Identify potential adaptations in underwriting, pricing, and capital management to account for climate risk."

Description: SARS-CoV2 will impact our post-pandemic future. Morbidity more than mortality will impact the life and health business in the mid-term. But how does this temporary disruption in health care elicit long-tail implications on other common diseases and changes in lifestyles? Find out how mid-term pricing could be affected using one case scenario and also show how mental health will particularly shape the post-pandemic future (individually and societal), not only due to long COVID. Review the experience of the insured policies and discuss future ideas for COVID-19 research at the Society of Actuaries Research Institute. Consider recent causes of death studies, as well as reported claims analyses to help expedite the analysis of recent experience. Join us where experts from both the medical and actuarial disciplines join forces to discuss this important topic.