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.