Insights for Health Actuaries and Policymakers

Tracking Healthcare for Actuaries and Policymakers

Summer 2023

Hello David,

On June 27, the Society of Actuaries’ Board of Directors approved the 2023 election ballot of endorsed candidates presented by the Nominating Committee. I am incredibly honored and delighted to be a on the ballot for President-Elect.

Serving in this role would be the culmination of 15 years as an SOA volunteer, an opportunity to leverage all that I’ve learned since 2008 while serving in a wide variety of roles. These include Director (2018-2021) and national media spokesman for the SOA on health issues (2016 to present).

Voting will begin on September 6. Beyond this request for your support, I encourage you to participate in the voting process after carefully considering the candidates. For more information, here’s a link to the SOA’s election page. Your participation is vital to keeping our organization strong! --- Dave Dillon

Premium Rate Hikes

A number of unique factors will contribute to the rise in health insurance premiums this year. Key among them is that hospitals and physicians are expected to seek higher rate increases. Learn more.

Reflections on Being a Volunteer

The Education & Research Section of the Society of Actuaries asked me to share a few of my thoughts about the rewards of being a volunteer teacher. Last year I took on the role at George State University, where I teach graduate students the skills of our profession. Here's my story.

Value-Based Healthcare

Federal health officials at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have introduced a pilot program to attract more providers into value-based care. The program supports the goal of placing all traditional Medicare beneficiaries and most Medicaid enrollees in an accountable care organization by 2030. Learn more ..

Medicaid Unwinding

Since states began redetermining beneficiaries' eligibility (“Medicaid unwinding”), millions have been dropped from the rolls due to system glitches. Federal health officials have taken steps to halt the problem. Read the story.

New Research: National Health Expenditures

The Office of the Actuary at CMS released projections of National Health Expenditures for 2022-2031, estimating that the average annual growth in expenditures (5.4%) will outpace that of the U.S. gross domestic product. Published annually, the report is often referred to as the “official” estimate of U.S. health spending and health insurance enrollment. Get the details .

Media Coverage

Vox Senior Correspondent Dylan Scott interviewed me about the high demand for the new generation of weight-loss drugs. Read.

Anchor and reporter Sharon Crowley interviewed me about the why employers are opting to cancel coverage of popular drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Watch.

Podcasts

Actuarial Leadership

I love to talk shop with other actuaries. In this case, it was with Chad Hollenbach, a health actuary who moved into a key leadership role as Executive Director of Resource Management/Financial Planning & Analysis at Aetna. He shared his thoughts about the importance of acquiring the right skills to move up the ladder and how he has learned to master the management of resources to improve organizational effectiveness. LISTEN

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Bias in Pricing

Recent research from the Casualty Actuarial Society addresses potential racial bias in insurance pricing. CAS Staff Actuary Mallika Bende r talked to Jackie Lee about how the research has helped create foundational knowledge and achieve a glossary of shared terminology because, as Mallika noted, “We can all be saying the same words but mean different things." LISTEN

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