Professional Decision Memo
Scenario: You are assuming the role of an analyst at your company. You are making a recommendation to the executives of the company you work for regarding the annual health insurance renewal for 100 employees and their family members. The proposed increase of 18% greatly exceeds your company’s budget for an annual increase in this budget category.
In your professional decision memo, include the following:
- What solutions do you propose? Why?
 - Specifically address deductibles and other cost sharing, provider tiering, managed care options and other payment models.
 - What data do you need and how do you use it?
 - How do you plan to communicate with employees about changes?
 
Notes:
- You will be hearing from your CEO with further questions as outlined below. Anticipate her questions as you make your case and include appropriate references.
 - Your professional memo should be 2 pages long, using double-space. Use at least three references; two references may be from this week’s readings.
 - This assignment page is to submit your professional decision memo for faculty review and grading.
 
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Required Resources
- Agarwal, R., Mazurenko, O., & Menachemi, N. (2017). High deductible health plans reduce health care cost and utilization, including use of needed preventive services. Health Affairs, 36(10), 1762-1768.
 - Cohen, R.A., & Zammitti, E. P. (2018, August). High-deductible health plan enrollment among adults aged 18-64 with employment-based insurance coverage. National Center for Health Statistics Data Brief, 317, 1-8. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db317.htm
 - Kaiser Family Foundation (2018,
October 3). 2018 employer health
benefits survey. Retrieved from
https://www.kff.org/health-costs/report/2018-employer-health-benefits-survey/
- Read the full report, summary and methodology documents
 
 - Massachusetts Health Policy Commission (2018, October 18). Presentation to the Health Policy Commission: CHIA’s Annual Report (PDF). Center for Health Information and Analysis. Retrieved from https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2018/10/16/Full%20Deck%20-%20Day%20One_final.pdf
 - Silvers, J.B., & Votruba, M. (2018, June 22). The Bezos-Buffet-Dimon health care venture: Eliminate the middlemen.The Conversation. Retrieved from: http://theconversation.com/the-bezos-buffett-dimon-health-care-venture-eliminate-the-middlemen-98747
 
Writing Assignment Rubric
| Writing Assignment Rubric – 100 Points | |||||
| CRITERIA | Exceeds Expectations | Meets Expectations | Needs Improvement | Inadequate | Total Points | 
| Content |  Demonstrates an understanding of
 the subject matter and the assignment. Clearly connects to analysis, case studies, and other illustrations of the subject or topic. Robust incorporation of relevant evidence. 60 points  |  Demonstrates moderate
 understanding of the subject matter and objectives of the assignment. Somewhat confusing connection to analysis, case studies, or other illustrations of the subject or topics. Limited incorporation of relevant evidence. 53 points  |  Demonstrates some understanding of
 the subject matter and objectives of the assignment. Somewhat confusing connections to analysis, case studies, or other illustrations of the subject or topics. Moderate incorporation of relevant evidence. 47 points  |  Demonstrates cursory understanding
 of the subject matter and objectives of the assignment. Very confusing connections to analysis, case studies, or other of the subject or topics. Minimal incorporation of relevant evidence. 41 points  | 60 | 
| Organization |  Focuses on ideas and concepts
 within paragraphs. Sentences are well-connected and meaningful. Each topic logically follows the objective. The introduction clearly states the objective or ideas leading to the purpose of the paper, and there is a sound conclusion that draws the ideas together. 15 points  |  Focuses on ideas and concepts
 within paragraphs but at times is confusing. Topics/content are not organized in a logical manner in some areas. Transitions from one idea to the next are sometimes disconnected and/or uneven. 13 points  |  Paragraphs minimally focus around
 a central point, and concepts are somewhat disjointedly introduced or not
 well-defended. Logical flow is sometimes or often lacking. Transitions are sometimes disconnected and/or uneven. 11 points  |  Paragraphs do not focus around a
 central point, and concepts are disjointedly introduced or poorly defended. Logical flow is often lacking. Transitions are often disconnected and/or uneven. 10 points  | 15 | 
| Clarity and Style (Spelling, Grammar, and Punctuation) |  Few to no errors in writing
 mechanics, spelling, and grammar. 15 points  |  Few to several errors in writing
 mechanics, spelling, or grammar. 13 points  |  Several to many errors in writing
 mechanics, spelling, or grammar. 11 points  |  Many errors in writing mechanics,
 spelling, or grammar. 10 points  | 15 | 
| APA Format |  Few to no errors in APA
 formatting, including margins, spacing, pagination, headings, headers,
 citations, and references, according to the specified citation manual. 10 points  |  Few to several errors in APA
 formatting, including margins, spacing, pagination, headings, headers,
 citations, and references, according to the specified citation manual. 8 points  |  Several to many errors in APA
 formatting, including margins, spacing, pagination, headings, headers,
 citations, and references, according to the specified citation manual. 7 points  |  Many errors in APA formatting,
 including margins, spacing, pagination, headings, headers, citations, and
 references, according to the specified citation manual. 6 points  | 10 | 
| Total points | 100 | 


