Description: Article discusses causes of high charges in relations to reimbursement arrangements and possible actions of insurers & payers. Issue No. 45.

Description: Analysis of possible mathematical relationships between hospital quality and hospital billed or allowed charges or other measures, using quality data as defined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services along with the Hospital Quality Alliance for their Hospital Quality Initiative.

Description: Healthcare costs have been rising faster than general inflation for many years. Early models that predicted this past pattern projected healthcare expenditure growth that continued to outpace total expenditure growth leading to the fallacious position that the whole of the US economy would ultimately be consumed by healthcare. This paper presents a long term healthcare trends resource model, prepared for the Society of Actuaries by Professor Thomas Getzen, that includes capacity constraints to ensure the long-term projection is rational. The motivation for creation of the model was driven by its potential usage as a resource for the estimation of reportable liabilities for retiree healthcare benefits as specified under FAS 106 and GASB 45 accounting statements.

Description: Discusses variability in per capita health-care costs by health-care provider.

Description: Healthcare costs have been rising faster than general inflation for many years. Early models that predicted this past pattern projected healthcare expenditure growth that continued to outpace total expenditure growth leading to the fallacious position that the whole of the US economy would ultimately be consumed by healthcare. The Society of Actuaries' Pension Section and Health Section Research teams commissioned Professor Thomas E. Getzen of Temple University to construct a resource model for the projection of long term healthcare cost trends that includes capacity constraints to ensure the long-term projection is rational. The motivation for creation of the model was driven by its potential usage as a resource for the estimation of reportable liabilities for retiree healthcare benefits as specified under FAS 106 and GASB 45 accounting statements. This is a zip file containing the following: 1. A background paper on the creation of the health trend model, 2. The model, programmed in Microsoft Excel [xls format], that projects per-person expenditures and growth rates through 2099 using baseline assumptions, but also permits the flexibility for user–inputted alternative assumptions, and 3. Technical documentation providing transparency and support for the ultimate results.

Description: Full version of Health Section News, June 2002, Issue No. 46.

Description: Chairperson’s Corner Variablility of Health Costs by John P. Cookson from Health Section News, August 2003, Issue No. 46.

Description: This data represents an analysis of 17 of the larger hospitals in a large metropolitan area, drawn from standardized analysis of virtually all hospitals. This exhibit compares relative quality, charge, length– of–stay efficiency, and estimated reimbursement differences between the various hospitals. The results are all adjusted for case mix and severity to put the analysis on an equitable basis. From "Health Care Variability" by John P. Cookson featured in The Actuary Magazine, 2005.

Description: Hospitals, through consolidation and affiliations, gaining back negotiation strenght lost due to managed care in the 80s and 90s. Charges vary significantly by area and facility. Issue No. 46.

Description: This paper discusses the the continuing cost of health insurance coverage represents a major problem for most of us. However, the long-term continuation of the excess growth rate of the health care economy verses the rest of the economy has the potential makings of a major crisis.