Description: You will be reminded how to spot and avoid statistical biases and fallacies that are common to health care actuarial data and problems. We plan to explain various statistical biases and fallacies and for each show one or two examples of how they might pop up in healthcare data and what strategies can be used to avoid/account for them. Likely topics include simpson's paradox, regression to the mean, base rate fallacy, sampling bias, survivor bias, Berkson's fallacy, and others.

Description: Quantify the impact on health care costs of specialty drugs and evaluate scenarios for future emerging specialty drugs.

Description: A Request for Proposals (RFP) for research studies on the impact of climate change and catastrophes on the U.S. health infrastructure. It outlines the background, objectives, submission requirements, and selection process for potential researchers.

Description: Comparison of domestic and international PFML programs

Description: This article shows how COVID-19 affected retirement risks, and how retirement planning was impacted by COVID-19. It ties together COVID-19 and its economic consequences with results of two recent consumer surveys that examine retirement risk perceptions and financial well being and a more complete discussion of retirement risks. The Managing Post-Retirement Risks guide divided retirement risks into economic risks, risks and personal planning considerations, and unexpected and unpredictable events. Each of the risks discussed in the guide is discussed in the article with commentary on COVID-19 and its impact, and information about how to manage the risk. For each risk, there is information provided about any insights gained in the two surveys. Results of the two surveys linked to COVID-19 are also discussed.

Description: Feature article featuring expert opinions on the future of health care

Description: This article is an update on the No Surprises Act, which is a U.S. Act aimed to reduce the risk that a person unexpectedly receives out of network charges for their health care visits.

Description: Derek Ray shares his excitement on serving as Chair of the Health Section Council in 2024, including recent section achievements, upcoming activities and a call to action for volunteers to contribute their expertise to the SOA.

Description: Two years ago, before COVID-19 changed everything about how we provide and receive health care, telehealth was largely provided by third-party vendors to treat a narrow range of acute one-and-done conditions. The value proposition was simple: a fast and easy member experience would drive satisfaction and engagement; high member satisfaction and engagement would drive health plan savings and member retention. Clearly, from the perspective of utilization, telehealth—as a viable alternative to in-person care during a pandemic—worked. And with COVID-19’s nudge—or was that a push?—toward cultural acceptance, the health care system is in a better position to capitalize on telehealth’s original promise of expanded access, lower cost and better outcomes than it was two years ago. But in the wake of the pandemic, it is just as clear to us that if telehealth is to live up to its full potential, some changes are needed. The rest of this article presents five ideas for improving the delivery of telehealth going forward.