Exploring Global Health Care Cost Drivers: South Africa and the United States
May 13, 2015
9:30 A.M. - 11:00 A.M. Eastern
Health care cost growth is a global issue. Regardless of the structure of their systems—public, private, or some combination—countries all over the world have to evaluate and address varying degrees of health care cost growth. Exploring comparative experience with health care cost trends and the drivers of cost increases worldwide was the objective of a 2015 webinar series jointly sponsored by the American Academy of Actuaries’ Health Practice International Task Force and the International Actuarial Association Health Section.
The second webinar in this series provided a unique opportunity to learn about the successes and challenges that both South Africa and the United States have experienced as they have worked to identify and address particular cost drivers. This webinar was a 90-minute examination and analysis of both countries’ health care systems, with a focus on health care cost trends. Panelists explored some of the following topics for both countries:
- The health care financing system;
- Efforts to address health care costs;
- Unique programs or aspects of the system that could be relevant to other countries;
- Examples of successes and challenges in each of the health care systems;
- Metrics used to measure health outcomes; and
- Anticipated changes and the impact of future health care cost trends.
Click here to view the most recent webinar in this series.
WEBINAR PRESENTERS
- Emile Stipp, BBusSc, LLB, FIA; Chairperson, International Actuarial Association Health Committee
- Tom Wildsmith, MAAA, FSA; President-Elect, American Academy of Actuaries
WEBINAR MODERATOR
- April Choi, MAAA, FSA; Chairperson, International Actuarial Association Health Section; Member, Academy Health Practice Council
ABOUT OUR GUEST PRESENTERS
Emile Stipp,
BBusSc, LLB, FIA; Chairperson, International Actuarial Association Health Committee
Emile is a health care actuary with more than 16 years’ experience. He was a partner in Deloitte & Touche, and joined Discovery Health as General Manager: Chief Health Actuary, in March 2007, with overall responsibility for the health actuarial work within the Discovery Group in South Africa and internationally.
Emile was the Convenor of Actuarial Society of South Africa’s Health Care Committee from 2003 to 2007, and also served on the AIDS Committee and Short Term Insurance Committee of ASSA. He is currently on the Council of the Actuarial Society. He also plays an active role in international health actuarial work. In May 2008, he was elected as Chairman of the Health Section of the International Actuarial Association.
Tom Wildsmith, MAAA, FSA; President-Elect, American Academy of Actuaries
Tom Wildsmith is the senior public policy manager for Aetna in Washington and the president-elect of the American Academy of Actuaries. During his 30-year career, Wildsmith has been deeply involved in all aspects of health insurance policy and financing. Wildsmith is a longtime volunteer with the Academy, where he has been a member of the Health Practice Council since 1997, including serving as vice president of the council from 2010 to 2012.
Wildsmith is currently the chairperson of the Medicare Steering Committee and the HPC Communications Committee. He also is a member of several of the ACA-related work groups, working on issues ranging from actuarial value to rate review to risk-sharing mechanisms.
ABOUT OUR MODERATOR
April Choi, MAAA, FSA; Chairperson, International Actuarial Association Health Section; Member, Academy Health Practice Council
April Choi is an actuarial executive with over 30 years of health care experience. She is currently an independent actuarial consultant based in California.
April has been the chairperson of the International Actuarial Association Health Section since 2014. She was the chairperson of the Academy of Actuaries (AAA) Health Practice International Task Force from 2009 to 2014. She is currently a member of the AAA Health Practice Council and Medicare Steering Committee, and she has served on many of the Academy’s healthcare reform workgroups. She is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries.
