Health Insurance Futures
Definition of "Health insurance futures"
One-year futures contract (standardized agreement between two parties to buy or sell a commodity or financial instrument on an organized futures exchange such as the CBOT within some future time period at a present stipulated price), traded at the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), which would allow health insurance companies and self-insured employers to hedge their losses. The essential design of this contract is such that when actual claims exceed expected claims by amount "X," the futures contract would increase by the same amount "X." The financial instrument that forms the basis of this futures contract is an index that reflects the claims experience of ten health insurance companies. By buying futures contracts that will appreciate in the future as claims increase in the future, insurance companies and self-insured employers can profit from increasing futures prices through which they can offset their losses. Accordingly, by selling futures contracts that will decline in the future, these organizations can profit from decreasing futures prices that can be used to offset smaller cash flow. For example, if a health insurance company buys a futures contract for $40,000 and then sells it for $50,000, the company will recognize a profit of $10,000, which can be used to pay the higher than expected claims incurred. The cost effectiveness of hedging through the buying and selling of futures contracts depends on high correlations between expected claims payments and the futures contracts prices. If there is a low correlation between expected claims payments and the futures contracts prices, the less cost effective the hedge becomes. Thus, it is critical for the insurance company or the self-insured employer to establish the correlation between its block of business and the health insurance futures index.
Popular Insurance Terms
Mechanism for providing coverage when the insured's underinsured motorist coverage limit is more than the tort feasor's limit of liability that has been previously reduced by claim payments ...
Mathematician in the insurance field. Actuaries conduct various statistical studies; construct morbidity and mortality tables; calculate premiums, reserves, and dividends for participating ...
Termination of life. A death certificate is required by a life insurance company for a beneficiary to receive the death payment. ...
Life insurance and long-term disability income insurance on major employees, with benefits payable to the business. Key person insurance has these advantages: enhances the ability of the ...
Value or cost of the actual net protection, in life insurance, in any year (face amount less reserve) according to the yearly renewal term rate used by an insurance company. ...
Condition in which buildings are built with sealed windows resulting in poor ventilation causing occupants to experience dizziness, nausea, respiratory problems, headaches, fatigue, sinus ...
Insurance company formed according to the legal requirements of a foreign country. In order for an alien insurer to be able to carry on general operations and sell its products in a ...
Employee's right to transfer pension benefit credits from a former employer to a current employer. ...
Annuity contract. If the annuitant dies before receiving income at least equal to the premiums paid, a beneficiary receives the difference in installments. If the annuitant lives after the ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.