Audio CD and written materials of AIS's audioconference on April 29, 2008

2009 Medicare Advantage Rates: Immediate Strategies for Health Plans

The final 2009 payment rates for Medicare Advantage (MA) plans are just out, and now plans must face the daunting task of rapidly revising their product and pricing strategies in time to submit bids to CMS by the June 2 due date. The final figures call for an average rate hike for MA plans next year of 3.6%, which is not only down from the preliminary estimate of 4.1%, but is also below medical cost trends. Find out what changes you should make quickly to prepare the best possible bids for the impending submission deadline.

Sponsored by Atlantic Information Services, Inc., publisher of Medicare Advantage News and Health Plan Week

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With CMS’s final 2009 MA rates for plans now out, there is a ton of complicated work to be done and very little time to do it before the June 2 bid deadline. A series of complicated steps must be taken to come up with product offerings, benefit designs and premium structures that will attract lots of business and be sufficiently profitable — all in less than two months.

Now that plans know how much of a rate hike CMS is offering, you need to determine what market adjustments you should make — and what your competitors may be making — to increase or at least maintain profit levels. 

Get the intelligence you need to strengthen your bottom line, as two leading industry actuaries review changes in overall MA rates, county-specific rates, the expected margin (revenue less expenses) by county, risk adjustment and Part D rates. You will hear them explore:

Speakers

PAT DUNKS is a principal and consulting actuary with the Milwaukee office of Milliman. He joined the firm in 1985. His area of expertise is managed health care programs, with emphasis on managed Medicare products. He has assisted clients with Medicare contracting, liability estimation, risk adjustment, medical cost estimates and projections, provider reimbursement strategies, product development, risk-sharing arrangements, provider negotiations, experience analysis, trend analysis, Medicaid contracting, e-health product development, mergers and acquisitions, and managed workers’ compensation programs. Mr. Dunks has advised HMOs, PPOs, hospitals, medical groups, physician hospital organizations, Blue Cross / Blue Shield plans, and insurance companies. He is a frequent speaker at managed care industry meetings.

BRIAN WEIBLE is president of Wakely Consulting Group. He joined the firm in 1997 and has worked as a health actuary for more than 16 years. Prior to joining Wakely, Mr. Weible was chief actuary and underwriting manager for a Florida HMO offering commercial and Medicare/Medicaid plans as well as piloting a 24-hour health/workers' compensation insurance product. Prior positions include working as a consultant for a large Florida-based health insurance and managed care actuarial consulting firm and positions with a multistate indemnity carrier offing fully insured and self-funded accident and health products. He offers professional advice and opinion to many periodicals, including The New York Times and several industry and business journals, regarding actuarial and related insurance and benefit issues.  He is a frequent speaker at industry and professional seminars.

Moderator: B.J. Taylor, associate editor of AIS's Medicare Advantage News.

 

Designed Especially For

• Health plan CEOs, CFOs, chief operating officers, product development and marketing executives, market researchers, provider network and contracting managers, government relations and compliance executives, and pharmacy directors.
• Directors of managed care contracting at provider organizations.
• Pharmaceutical company and PBM executives and marketers.
• Executives of pharmacy benefit management companies.
• Attorneys, actuaries, and consultants.

 

Written Materials