Health
The Health Practice Council (HPC) provides objective technical expertise to policymakers and regulators on major health insurance and health care affordability issues, including Medicare.
Controlling Health Care Spending Growth
Drivers of health care costs and slowing the growth in health care spending.
Financial Reporting, Risk Management and Solvency
Financial reporting and solvency issues at the state level, such as NAIC-related projects on RBC, as well as emerging international solvency issues and federal regulation of insurance companies.
Long-Term Care
Federal and state long-term care issues, including the CLASS Act and LTC pricing/valuation.
Health Reform & ACA Implementation
Implementation of the Affordable Care Act, the health care reform law passed in 2010, and other health care reform issues.
Medicare/Medicaid
Potential reform options addressing Medicare’s financial sustainability, and information on the Medicaid and CHIP programs.
Health News
The Medicaid Committee released a public policy issue brief providing an overview of Medicaid managed care state-directed payments. The brief discusses: how these payments have evolved from supplemental and pass-through payments; recent changes to federal guidance governing them; and recommendations from the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC).
( )The Individual and Small Group Markets Committee and its Risk Sharing Subcommittee submitted a letter to the CCIIO on cost-sharing reduction (CSR) premium load factors. The letter was also submitted to state regulators and legislators. The letter first discusses using actual experience data/issuer pricing models to develop the load factor. It then discusses a method using federal actuarial value (AV) levels to develop the load and potential drawbacks of this approach.
( )The Health Equity Committee released a public policy issue brief on health care and health insurance system risk assessment and risk adjustment in the context of health equity. Risk assessment and risk adjustment are valuable tools that are used for a variety of purposes and are being reexamined to understand whether and how they should incorporate social risk factors.
( )The Health Equity Committee sent comments responding to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) request for information (RFI) that was seeking public comment on the Medicare Advantage program. The committee specifically focused on the health equity aspects of the questions posed within the RFI.
( )Academy Health Equity Committee Chairperson Annette James gave a presentation on equity considerations for barriers to care and health plan benefit design to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Special (EX) Committee on Race & Insurance Workstream #5.
( )Academy Health Practice Council (HPC) Vice Chairperson, Barb Klever, provided an update on HPC activities to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Health Actuarial (B) Task Force during their virtual meeting in lieu of the 2022 Summer National Meeting.
( )The Health Solvency Subcommittee submitted a letter response to its previous report to the NAIC’s Health Risk-Based Capital (E) Working Group to provide a timeline to analyze and comprehensively review the H2—Underwriting Risk component and the managed care credit calculation in the health risk-based capital (HRBC) formula.
( )The Group Life Waiver Premium Valuation Table Work Group submitted Proposed 2022 Group Life Waiver Tables and Adjustment Factors to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ (NAIC) Health Actuarial (B) Task Force (HATF). This Excel file is an addendum to the “Draft of the Revised AG 44” document, and the Graduation of Group Life Waiver of Premium Disability Experience Rates report by Jerry Holman (dated February 2022) submitted to HATF on June 13, 2022.
( )The Long-Term Care Valuation Work Group gave a follow-up presentation to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) NAIC Long-Term Care Actuarial (B) Working Group to discuss the data set used in preparation of the of the Long-Term Care Insurance Mortality and Lapse Study. The NAIC will develop a list of areas that they would like commenters to focus on, and then will expose the report for a 60-day period.
( )This infographic illustrates the factors underlying premium rate setting and highlighting the major components driving premium changes in the individual and small group markets for 2023, that are discussed in the recently released issue brief.
( )The Individual and Small Group Markets Committee released an issue brief laying out the factors underlying premium rate setting and highlighting the major components driving premium changes in the individual and small group markets for 2023.
( )The Group Life Waiver Premium Valuation Table Work Group submitted recommendations for the revised 2022 Group Life Waiver of Premium Valuation Table and the revised Actuarial Guideline 44 (AG 44) to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Health Actuarial (B) Task Force (HATF).
( )The Health Practice Council’s Individual and Small Group Markets Committee and Active Benefits Subcommittee submitted comments to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on the proposed rule for “Affordability of Employer Coverage for Family Members of Employees.” The comments relate to provisions addressing the so-called “family glitch,” revisions to the employer coverage affordability test, and the Minimum Value (MV) Calculator.
( )The Medicare Committee released an issue brief on the financing challenges facing the Medicare program based on the 2022 Medicare Trustees Report.
( )The Long-Term Care (LTC) Reform Subcommittee’s LTC Actuarial Equivalence Work Group released the public policy issue brief, Value of Reduced Benefit Options in Long-Term Care Insurance Rate Increases. This issue brief examines the relationship of benefits to premiums for reduced benefit options (RBOs) in the context of ongoing long-term care insurance (LTCI) premium rate increases.
( )Health Public Statements
Comments and letters
Comments, analysis, or explanatory material prepared for an external audience on behalf of an Academy group or the Academy as a whole; these include letters, memos, reports, and fact sheets.
Issue briefs
Analyses of major actuarial or public policy issues written primarily for policy-makers, regulators, the news media, and the public.
Policy papers
Include white papers and monographs which are longer, more detailed analyses of major actuarial or public policy issues written primarily for policy-makers, regulators, the news media, and the public. Includes monographs and white papers.
Presentations
Slides presented by the Academy at webinars, seminars, briefings, hearings, or other meetings and events.
Reports to the NAIC
The Academy works with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) on the creation and refinement of sensible, effective regulation. These reports and related documents highlight the NAIC-related work of the health practice councils.
Testimony
Written and oral testimony provided to Congress or to other governmental and quasigovernmental bodies.
Practice Notes
Practice notes offer examples of current and emerging approaches to selected actuarial tasks. They are intended to supplement the available actuarial literature, especially where the practices addressed are subject to evolving technology, recently adopted external requirements, or advances in actuarial science and other applicable disciplines.
