Please join us for an examination of medical cost trend drivers, projections and implications for the coming year, as PwC’s Trine Tsouderos and Crystal Yednak discuss this year’s PwC Behind the Numbers Report, and Milliman’s Paul Houchens and Doug Norris discuss this year’s Milliman Medical Index Report, in the HealthcareWebSummit event: Medical Cost Trends Going Into 2022 – PwC Behind the Numbers and the Milliman Medical Index.
Overview
Webinar: Thursday, August 12, 2021, at 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM Eastern
- How healthcare costs are shaping around the post-peak pandemic going forward
- Where the medical cost trend is headed in 2022
- An examination of specific cost trend inflators and deflators
- Healthcare trends influencing costs for the coming year
- Calculation and components of typical employer sponsored coverage costs for a family of four
- Projected employer and employee contributions for group healthcare costs
- Implications of medical cost trends going into 2022
Faculty: Trine K. Tsouderos, Business Insights, Sectors Leader and HRI Leader, PwC; Crystal Yednak, Senior Manager, Health Research Institute, PwC; Paul R. Houchens, FSA, MAAA, Principal, Consulting Actuary, Milliman; and Doug Norris, FSA, MAAA, PhD, Principal and Consulting Actuary, Milliman
The pandemic has shifted how and where Americans gain access to care, a shift large enough to influence multiple aspects of price and utilization and, thus, medical cost trend. PwC tells us that the aftereffects of the pandemic and the health system’s response to changes and failures observed during the pandemic are expected to drive up spending (inflators) in 2022. At the same time, some positive changes in consumer behavior and provider operating models that occurred during the pandemic are expected to drive down spending (deflators) in 2022.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare costs has become clearer. For the first time during the 16-year history of the Milliman Medical Index, healthcare costs decreased during the past year (between 2019 and 2020). Eliminated care more than offset the cost of COVID-19 testing and treatments in 2020. But in 2021, Milliman projects healthcare costs to grow again, with the cost of healthcare for a hypothetical family of four insured through an employer PPO standing at $28,256.
This session provides detailed discussion of medical cost trend calculations, projections, components and implications addressed in this year’s release of the PwC Behind the Numbers, and Milliman Medical Index Reports, with time provided for audience Q&A.
Registration Details
- Individual Registration: $195
- Individual Registration and Post-event materials - Includes webinar video and presentation pdf file: $240 for attendees
- Post-event materials for non-attendees - Includes webinar video and presentation pdf file. Available after the event: $260
Register above or download a registration form. You can also register by phone: 209.577.4888. Corporate Site licensing also available. We look forward to your attendance!
MCOL Premium members receive a 50% discount on all Healthcare Web Summit events. Members can get the discount code on the Premium Member Website. Non-members can learn about MCOL Premium memberships and sign-up to get the 50% discount on this and future events.
Need a Printable Form? Download a registration form you can fax or mail.
Cure for the Common Webinar
In addition to the main faculty presentation, this event includes a fun whiteboard drawing format opening video, a brief moderated faculty interview, and concluding live audience questions and answers. Within in business day of your registration, you'll receive login information. You will also receive a reminder both 1 day and 1 hour before the live event, which will include a link to the downloadable companion presentation slides.
One day after the live event, you'll receive a follow-up request for feedback, also offering an opportunity to provide any final questions that can be forwarded to the faculty. Also, if you need support before, during or after the event, you can contact HealthcareWebSummit office at 209.577.4888.
Learning Objectives
After attending this webinar, attendees will be able to:
- Determine specific medical cost trends reported by PwC and Milliman.
- Identify the key components, calculations and projection assumptions involved in development of this years’ PwC Behind the Numbers and Milliman Medical Index reports.
- Consider the medical cost trend implications for 2022.
- Examine the pandemic impact upon last year, this year, and 2020 medical cost trends.
- Benefit from interactive learning including opportunities to engage with faculty with questions and discussion
Who Should Attend
Interested attendees would include:
- C-Suite Executives
- Actuarial Executives and Staff
- Analytics Executives and Staff
- Health Benefit Managers and Staff
- Provider Contracting Executives and Staff
- Value-Based Payment Executives and Staff
- Revenue Cycle Management Executives and Staff
- Planning and Strategy Executives and Staff
- Business Intelligence Staff
- Benefit Consultants
- Sales and Marketing Executives and Staff
- Other Interested Parties
Attendees would represent organizations including:
- Health Plans
- Employers
- Benefit Consulting Organizations
- Third Party Administrators
- Hospitals and Health Systems
- Provider Networks
- Accountable Care Organizations
- Clinically Integrated Networks
- Medical Groups
- Solutions Providers
- Associations, Institutes and Research Organizations
- Government Agencies
- Media
- Other Interested Organizations
Faculty
 Trine K. Tsouderos |
Trine Tsouderos is PwC’s Health Research Institute (HRI)’s Leader, where she oversees a team that produces thought leadership on healthcare trends that are shaping the pharmaceutical and life sciences, provider, payer and new entrants markets. Trine also co-hosts PwC's healthcare podcast, Next in Health. A former journalist, Trine has 17 years of newsroom experience. Most recently, she was medical reporter at the Chicago Tribune, winning state and national awards for her work. Her work has been cited in books and scientific papers. Trine is also a seasoned panel moderator and speaker and has given presentations at organizations such as The New York Academy of Sciences, the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association. Trine also has worked in health communications. As director of healthcare media at Golin, she helped shape and execute domestic and global media strategies for large insurers and major pharmaceutical and consumer healthcare products companies. |
 Crystal Yednak |
Crystal Yednak is a senior manager with PwC’s Health Research Institute and leads HRI’s analysis of regulatory and legislative affairs impacting providers and payers. In 15 years as a journalist whose work has appeared in major publications such as the The New York Times, the Chicago Tribune and Crain’s Chicago Business, Yednak reported on health policy and its impact from a variety of perspectives. She followed state government efforts to expand Medicaid, profiled the winners and losers in a shifting provider landscape and chronicled patient experiences in the healthcare system. At the Tribune, Yednak uncovered corruption involving the state’s healthcare facilities planning board and the governor’s office. Prior to joining PwC, Yednak conducted research and wrote thought leadership pieces for a number of companies and nonprofit organizations. Yednak is a graduate of Northwestern University. |
 Paul Houchens, FSA, MAAA |
Paul Houchens has extensive experience evaluating health care reform proposals from the prospective of numerous sectors of the healthcare industry, including: State Medicaid agencies, employers, health insurers, and other state agencies. Paul has assisted five states in analyzing or projecting insurance market changes as a result of the Affordable Care Act. Additionally, he recently performed an actuarial certification for a state’s Section 1332 State Innovation Waiver. He has published numerous white papers on healthcare reform issues including the individual and employer mandates, insurer financial results under the Affordable Care Act, and evaluation of proposed federal legislation. He has consulted on a wide array of topics for state Medicaid agencies, including capitation rate development, financial projections, risk adjustment, financial reporting, and encounter data quality improvement. Paul authored and assisted in the development of several white papers during 2016 related to the new Medicaid managed care regulations released by the Federal government. Paul is a Fellow, Society of Actuaries, and a Member, American Academy of Actuaries. He is a graduate (summa cum laude and honors) of Ball State University. |
 Doug Norris |
Doug Norris specializes in healthcare reform as it applies to commercial plans (including Exchange modeling, strategy, tactics, and Part 5 "3R" risk mitigation modeling), underwriting implementation, and behavioral healthcare issues including care coordination and integration. His recent work includes strategic modeling for commercial plans as affected by the Affordable Care Act (including strategy, tactics, and the modeling of the Part 5 risk mitigation provisions), legislation impact modeling, TRICARE and USFHP contract negotiations, commercial large group pricing and strategy, CMS Innovation program payment and delivery modeling analyses, IBNR modeling, behavioral health integration and value opportunity analyses, and health underwriting implementation. Doug has extensive experience in probability and optimization techniques, and has spoken at numerous universities on topics ranging from Markov analysis to probabilistic forecasting. Prior to joining Milliman, Doug was an assistant professor of mathematics at Westminster College (Salt Lake City), and an instructor in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He also worked for the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder. Doug is a Fellow, Society of Actuaries, and a Member, American Academy of Actuaries. He received his BS (with honors), in Mathematics, from Western Washington University, and his PhD, Mathematics (optimization), from University of Colorado at Boulder. |