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
Program of health care designed for the prevention and/or reduction of illnesses by providing such services as regular physical examinations. This care is in opposition to curative care, ...
Measure of policyholder interest in a variable annuity policy prior to the annuity date. This measure is similar to a unit in a mutual fund. ...
Work-related accident. Occupational accidents that injure employees are the responsibility of the employer and are covered by workers compensation insurance. In recent years, the term ...
Investments restricted to short-term financial instruments issued by state, city, and county governments and agencies. Interest paid by those instruments are not subject to federal income ...
Coverage in which an applicant lot required to take a medical examination, instead answers written questions to ascertain his current physical condition. ...
Report developed by or supplied by a credit agency to an insurer dealing with the financial standing and character of an insurance applicant. These factors are carefully weighted by the ...
Figure in a mortality table derived by dividing the number of people alive at the end of a given year by the number of people alive at the beginning of that same year. ...
Insurance policy under which the value equals the benefits to be paid to the plan participants (employees) at normal retirement age, assuming that (1) their rate of earnings remains the ...
Payment of premiums and benefits as they come due. In pension plans, known as the "pay as you go basis." The plan depends on new employees coming into the work force so that their ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.