The CDC and Society of Actuaries have agreed to work together to bring actuarial science to public health as part of a larger goal to increase understanding of the healthcare cost savings that can be achieved through evidence-based prevention.
The partnership aligns with the CDC's 6|18 initiative to target six common and costly health conditions — tobacco use, high blood pressure, healthcare-associated infections, asthma, unintended pregnancies and diabetes — and 18 proven interventions with purchasers, payers and providers.
Under the partnership, the SOA will help the CDC understand how the insurance process, including factors such as provider contracting, benefit provisions, managed care agreements and payer-based care management, affect or interact with the interventions.
"In support of this relationship, the SOA has the opportunity to help solve some of the toughest and most costly population health challenges facing our country today," said Rebecca Owen, a health research actuary. "As pioneers in data analysis, actuaries bring the unique ability to help identify cost savings for public health interventions and to determine how payers can allocate funding to successfully implement them."
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