Actuarial issues of health insurance reform : an honors thesis (HONRS 499)

Abstract

When it comes to insurance, actuaries are the experts. It is the role of an insurance actuary to price insurance products, by calculating premiums and reserves using their best estimates for future expenses and claim payments. Reforming the US health insurance system will require much expertise from actuaries. The purpose of this paper is to analyze health insurance reform from an actuarial perspective. The paper gives a history of health insurance in the US, states issues that actuaries consider most important, and evaluates current legislation based on how well it adheres to actuarial issues.