Health Practice Council comment letter to House leadership on legislation (HR 5) that would include a provision to repeal the Independent Payment Advisory Board, which was created under the ACA to provide recommendations to reduce growth in Medicare expenditures if spending exceeds a certain growth rate. (March 21, 2012 )

Medicare Steering Committee issue brief discussing proposals to update Medicare's traditional fee-for-service benefit design. (March 01, 2012 )

Medicare Supplement Work Group letter to the NAIC Medigap PPACA Subgroup offering comments on the subgroup’s new discussion paper, Medicare Supplement Insurance First Dollar Coverage and Cost-Shares.

(October 04, 2011 )

Medicare Steering Committee comment letter to the members of the new Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction urging action to improve the long-term solvency and sustainability of the Medicare program. (August 31, 2011 )

Medicare Supplement Work Group letter to the NAIC's Medicare Supplement Refund Formula Subgroup with a proposed charge to have the work group review the Medicare Supplement Refund Formula for potential changes that may need to be addressed.

(August 24, 2011 )

Medicaid Work Group presentation regarding the Medicaid rate-setting process for Medicaid Managed Care programs. The presentation includes a discussion about base data sources, base data adjustments, risk adjustment, risk-sharing arrangements, and performance incentives. (July 21, 2011 )

Health Practice Council testimony to the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health regarding the 2011 Medicare Trustees Report. (June 22, 2011 )

Cori Uccello, Senior Health Fellow, and Thomas Wildsmith, Vice President for Health Issues, slide set regarding the 2011 Medicare Trustees Report. The slide set was presented during a Capitol Hill briefing and provides an overview of the financial projections in the report and the outlook for the program's sustainability. The slide set also addresses various Medicare-related debt- and deficit-reduction proposals and the key cost, access and quality issues associated with each proposal. (May 27, 2011 )

Medicare Steering Committee's annual issue brief offering an actuarial perspective on Medicare's financial condition and outlining the public policy options to address the program's long-term financial challenges. (May 25, 2011 )

Medicare Steering Committee issue brief that summarizes the key cost, access, and quality issues associated with some of the Medicare-related provisions in the various debt and deficit reduction proposals. (May 12, 2011 )

Medicare Part D RBC Subgroup letter to the NAIC's Health RBC Working Group asking it to sponsor and administer a survey of carriers that write Medicare Part D business. The survey is designed to gather additional data that may support any needed changes to the formula. (February 09, 2011 )

Health Practice Council letter to CMS in response to its request for comments on the Medicare Advantage risk adjustment data validation (RADV) payment error calculation methodology. (January 21, 2011 )

Medicaid Work Group letter to CMS in response to CMS' request for assistance in revising the Medicaid rate setting checklist. (January 14, 2011 )

Medicare Steering Committee annual issue brief offering an actuarial perspective on Medicare's financial condition and outlining the public policy options to address the program's long-term financial challenges. (November 10, 2010 )

Medicare Supplement Work Group additional comments to NAIC on the draft revisions to the Medicare Supplement Compliance Manual, clarifying the use of the pooling approach used in the manual and how it may interact with loss ratio standards. (February 02, 2010 )

Health Policy Council call to action urging the President and Congress to restore the long-term solvency and financial sustainability of Medicare. (February 01, 2010 )

Medicare Steering Committee issue brief describing the current payment system, providing an overview of the goals of the Medicare Advantage program and addressing two of the alternative mechanisms (and some variations) for reducing payments to Medicare Advantage plans. (October 01, 2009 )

Medicare Steering Committee annual issue brief offering an actuarial perspective on Medicare's financial condition and outlining public policy options to address the program's long-term financial challenges. (May 31, 2009 )

Medicare Part D RBC Subgroup letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for financial data related to Medicare Part D, which will be used to update a report on Medicare Part D RBC risk factors. (October 06, 2008 )

Medicare Part D Accounting Practice Note Subgroup practice note describing some of the current practices used by U.S. health actuaries with respect to work involving valuation, accounting, and financial reporting for Medicare Part D products. (April 08, 2008 )