A new issue brief produced by the Individual and Small Group Markets Committee, Drivers of 2019 Health Insurance Premium Changes, provides an overview of the general factors underlying premium rate setting and highlights the major components driving premium changes for 2019. Read the news release.
( )The Medicare Subcommittee published an issue brief, Medicare’s Financial Condition: Beyond Actuarial Balance, on significant concerns about Medicare’s long-term financial health.
( )The Individual and Small Group Markets Committee sent comments on a proposed rule that would lengthen the maximum period of short-term, limited-duration (STLD) insurance through amending the definition of STLD.
( )The Health Practice Council gave a briefing on Capitol Hill to policymakers and congressional and federal agency staff, offering expertise on the drivers of growth in drug expenses; benefits versus costs for new treatments; the impact of high and increasing prescription drug costs on payers; and options to address spending. Read the news release.
( )The Prescription Drug Work Group published an issue brief highlighting prescription drug issues present in our health care system, including cost drivers, the effect on various stakeholders, and possible approaches that might help address the health care cost growth associated with prescription drugs.
( )The Individual and Small Group Markets Committee sent comments to the U.S. Department of Labor on proposed rules regarding the definition of ‘‘Employer’’ under section 3(5) of ERISA—Association Health Plans.
( )The Health Practice Council sent comments to the Idaho Department of Insurance on allowing health insurers to offer state-based plans that are not compliant with the Affordable Care Act in Idaho.
( )The High-Performance Network Work Group of the American Academy of Actuaries has released a new issue paper, High-Performance Networks. Drawing on recent public policy debates about addressing health care spending, this paper explores the expansion of high-performance networks (HPNs) which generally focus on delivering high-quality and efficient care, as a potential solution.
The Individual and Small Group Markets Committee sent comments to the Office of Regulations and Interpretations within the Employee Benefits Security Administration in response to the Department of Labor's proposed rule on the definition of employer—small business health plans.
( )The Joint P&C/Health Bond Factors Analysis Work Group submitted a discussion draft of a report on P/C and Health bond factors for consideration by the NAIC’s Joint Health RBC and P/C RBC Drafting Group.
The Individual and Small Group Markets Committee sent comments to Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation in response to the Department of Health and Human Services’ request for information on promoting healthcare choice and competition.
( )The Academy released a summary of select significant regulatory and legislative developments in 2017 at the state, federal, and international levels of interest to the U.S. actuarial profession.
( )
( )
The winter StateScan Quarterly highlights state legislation in the past quarter related to auto insurance, health insurance marketplace changes, pension plans, principle-based reserving, and more. For a comprehensive review, log in to StateScan, the legislative and regulatory portal free for Academy members.
( )The Health Practice Council submitted a letter to the U.S. House and Senate providing comments on the potential consequences of eliminating the ACA's individual mandate, as possible in the conference committee for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
( )The Health Practice International Committee published an issue brief on global aging demographics, quality of life during the end-of-life period, palliative versus curative care, and strategies for address health care challenges at the end of life using case studies from a variety of countries.
( )
