Fighting back against a report by the Society of Actuaries that forecasted insurance premium hikes as high as 32 percent or even 80 percent when the health reform law goes into effect next year, supporters of the law have countered that actuaries have a vested interest because most are employed by or work on the behalf of insurance companies, according to a report by Kaiser Health News.
The leader of the committee that oversaw the report was Kenny Kan, who is the chief actuary of CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield in Maryland, a point that was not disclosed in the report. Other actuaries who worked on the project have insurers as clients, but the report does not list their affiliations or potential conflicts of interest with health insurers, according to KHN. Additionally, the SOA's report used research conducted by Optum, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, the health conglomerate that runs the nation's largest health insurer, UnitedHealthcare.
The SOA has defended the report, saying it was available for review by actuaries not involved with the project, and even many who support the health law worry about the impact that many sicker individuals may have on insurance premiums.
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The leader of the committee that oversaw the report was Kenny Kan, who is the chief actuary of CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield in Maryland, a point that was not disclosed in the report. Other actuaries who worked on the project have insurers as clients, but the report does not list their affiliations or potential conflicts of interest with health insurers, according to KHN. Additionally, the SOA's report used research conducted by Optum, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, the health conglomerate that runs the nation's largest health insurer, UnitedHealthcare.
The SOA has defended the report, saying it was available for review by actuaries not involved with the project, and even many who support the health law worry about the impact that many sicker individuals may have on insurance premiums.
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