Introducing AWPSE.com
Background
Several years ago, the Summary Paper of a meeting on The Interplay between Mathematics and Robotics sponsored by the National Science Foundation set forth the following paragraph:
"In the future, robotic technology will serve as an interface between the emerging distributed computing and information networks (i.e., the World Wide Web) and the physical world, particularly households and business environments."
A Website and its sponsors, www.awpse.com (or AWPSE for short) has been developed to be, in effect, a robot that serves to create, manage, distribute and maintain a broad range of administrative documents and/or mathematical models, all called Work-Products. As a robot, AWPSE provides many services featuring the very latest in (a) information technology, and (b) mathematical modeling.
Understanding AWPSE
Through this Website, many interested entities (TPAs, brokers, risk managers, consultants, accountants, attorneys, plan sponsors, HMOs, insurers, software vendors, actuaries and intermediaries) may readily access a wide range of either (a) actuarial or (b) administrative Work-Products. These earlier Work-Products are employee benefit-related; it is expected that later Work-Products will cover a wider range of topics.
Each Work-Product has these features: (a) it is prepared by a Web-embedded computer and is provided directly by AWP to the User-Practitioner (with AWPSE assuming full responsibility for its preparation); (b) as respects data input, the User may be involved (i) totally, (ii) partially or (iii) not at all, as it wishes; and (c) AWPSE has no involvement with the consulting, delivery, etc., associated therewith.
Work-Product Status
The following describes the status of (a) Actuarial Work-Products and (b) Administrative Work-Products.
Actuarial Work-Products
Website*
Work-Product Name and Purpose Reference Status
Claim Reserves
Health Care Plan - Traditional A1a Done
AICPA SOP 01-02 A1b IP
Workers’ Compensation A2 IP
Long Term Disability A3 IP
Monte Carlo Simulations
Claim Fluctuations and Economic
Value of Stop-Loss B1-B2 Done
Economic Value of Plan Benefits
and Managed Care Arrangement B3 Done
*See awpse.com - Work-Products Icon
Government Entity Certifications
Florida: FS Section 112.08 C1 IP
Iowa: IAC Chapter 509A C2 Done
Ohio: ORC Section 9.833 C3 Done
Medicare Part D
Subsidy/Feasibility Analysis D1 Done
Creditable Coverage Certification D2 IP
Annual Actuarial Report
(Includes Recommended Funding
Factors and Certified COBRA Rates) E Done
Consumer-Driven Health Care
HRA Model F1 IP
HSA Model F2 IP
Federal Income Tax Issues
Discrimination G1 IP
Self-Employed G2 IP
Accounting-Related
AICPA FASB 112 H1 IP
Alternatives to Retiree Life Reserves
AICPA FASB 106 H2a Done
AICPA GASB 43-45 H2b Done
Administrative Work-Products
For Selected Employee Benefits
Death and AD&D I3b IP
Long Term Disability I3c IP
Short Term Disability I3d IP
Dental and/or Vision and/or Hearing I3e IP
Long Term Care I3f IP
Critical Illness (or Organ Transplant) I3g IP
Medicare Supplement I3h IP
Health Reimbursement Accounts
Document/Booklet I3i(A) UC
Initial Plan Proposal I3i(B) UC
Renewal Plan Proposal I3i(C) UC
Administrative Guide I3i(D) UC
COBRA Administration I3j IP
Flexible Spending Accounts I3k IP
Workers’ Compensation I3l IP
Legal Benefits I3m IP
Risk-Related Work-Products
Plan Benefit Design Analysis J1a IP
Plan Administration Analysis J1b IP
Grading of Funding/COBRA Factors
By Age J1c(A) IP
By Gender J1c(B) IP
By Geographical Area J1c(C) IP
Self-Funding Appropriateness Test J1d IP
Individual Health Risk Appraisal J1e IP
Work-Products Responding to Specific Issues
Topic of the Specific Issues
Claims Processing K IP
Administration K IP
Litigation-Related (Actual/Potential) K IP
Document Maintenance K IP
Commentary on AWP
The advantages, useful features, etc., of AWP are as follows:
1. Each AWP is as current as possible with respect to (a) cybernetics, (b) Web-based communications, (c) mathematics (stochastic model-building, Monte Carlo Simulations, e.g.) and (d) risk management. Provision is made for (a) maximum storage capacity, (b) full transparency, (c) privacy/security, (d) efficiency/accessibility/utility, (e) enhanced professional quality (f) user-friendliness and (g) ease of auditing. Each AWP has earned its Green Card by being energy-efficient; also, time and distance constraints are eliminated thereby recognizing the new millennium and globalization.
2. The AWPs have numerous industry-first features: (a) Structuring the report format with requisite data input and preset fees (i.e,. no billable-time), (b) being offered for either an (i) actuarial or (ii) administrative purpose, (c) anticipating and preparing for upcoming national health care changes, (d) opening the self-funding door to several new benefits: (i) death, (ii) LTD, (iii) critical illness, e.g., (e) having the provider of the AWP (as part of such AWP) to (i) declare itself to be a fiduciary with respect thereto and (ii) permit the User to link to a PDF of such provider's E&O Declarations Page and (f) permitting the User (or involved practitioner) to either (i) be dominant, (ii) be proactive or (iii) be not involved in the data submission process.
3. In designing the AWPs, four motivations were dominant: (a) to achieve the lowest possible costs (consistent with our current national health care cost containing goals), (b) to honor our Federal Trade and Commerce Laws which obligate each business and profession to seek and provide the cheapest and best product or service and to do so fairly and (c) to respond to the Supreme Court decision (MetLife v. Glenn) which has the effect of favoring a TPA-administered self-funded plan over the other options and (d) to design AWPs so as to be of value to as many potential users as possible.
4. Of the greatest significance is that for the first time, the major players to the risk arrangement (plan sponsor, TPA, stop-loss carrier and practitioner) can simultaneously review, discuss and deliberate on the relevant data, processes and output while being anywhere and at any time by using their terminals. Moreover, the added computer and storage power permits many important functions (rating, underwriting, administration, experience-refunds, e.g.) to be more accurate and equitable.
