Academy Senior Health Fellow Cori Uccello and Karen Bender, chairperson of the Academy's Individual and Small Group Markets Committee, submitted testimony on the general factors underlying premium rate setting and the major components driving premium changes for 2017 under the Affordable Care Act to a U.S. House Ways and Means Committee hearing on rising health care premiums.

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 LTC Reform Subcommittee published an issue brief providing an overview of premium rate increases on private long-term care insurance policyholders. Read the news release.

A new issue brief produced by the Individual and Small Group Markets Committee, Drivers of 2017 Health Insurance Premium Changes, provides an overview of the general factors underlying premium rate setting and highlights the major components driving premium changes for 2017 under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Read the news release.

The LTC Reform Subcommittee submitted a comment letter to the Maryland Insurance Administration Public Hearing on Long-Term Care Insurance.

The Risk Sharing Subcommittee sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) with comments on its recent discussion paper, HHS-Operated Risk Adjustment Methodology, that addresses partial year enrollment, use of pharmacy data, use of a concurrent versus prospective model, high-risk enrollee pooling, recalibration of the model, and the transfer formula.

The Health Care Receivables Factors Work Group sent its recommendation on credit risk factors for health care receivables to the NAIC’s Health Risk Based Capital (E) Work Group.

The Risk Sharing Subcommittee published an issue paper that reviews the first year of experience under the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) risk adjustment program with a focus on experience in the individual market. Read the news release here.

The Cancer Claim Cost Table Work Group presented to the NAIC’s Health Actuarial Task Force (B) on its progress in updating the 1985 cancer claim cost tables.

The Risk Sharing Subcommittee presented an update to the Health Actuarial Task Force (B) on its report about the risk adjustment program.

The Long-Term Care (LTC) Credibility Monograph Work Group presented an update to the NAIC’s Long-Term Care Actuarial Working Group (B).

The Long-Term Care (LTC) Principle Based Reserve (PBR) Work Group presented its final report to the NAIC’s Long-Term Care Actuarial Working Group (B).

The Premium Review Work Group sent a letter to CCIIO with comments on the 2017 unified rate review template (URRT) and instructions.

The Health Solvency Subcommittee sent a letter to the NAIC’s Health Risk-Based Capital (E) Working Group with comments on Proposal 2016-01-H’s individual premiums and claims footnote.

The Medicare Subcommittee sent a letter to the Senate Finance Committee with comments on the Bipartisan Chronic Care Working Group’s Policy Options Document.