Stephen Adams: a passion for numbers helps shape coverage for our members

Stephen Adams’ work as an actuary is often heavy in spreadsheets and data. But the BlueCross members behind the math are always front and center, and the purpose of it is always clearcut.

“As a health insurer, we work to support our members,” Stephen says. “I study and analyze trends that impact our industry so that we can offer plans and coverage that best meet their needs.”

His fascination with the big-picture view of mathematics started with a calculus class in high school and insight from acquaintances who were actuaries.

“I realized how powerful math can be to solve real-world problems,” Stephen says.[tweetit]

An internship sparks his enthusiasm

That realization was reinforced by classes he took while earning his degree in mathematics at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, including statistics studies that helped him understand individual and group patterns of behavior.

“That was one of the moments when I realized math could be used to understand the likelihood — or risk — of certain behaviors or results,” he says.

As he got closer to graduation, he sought a summer internship to see firsthand how an actuary supports an organization’s decision making, strategy and financial risk management.

“Working with a BlueCross actuary who’d been here for a long time gave me a great view of what my career path could be,” Stephen says.

His main project as an intern centered on verifying data required by the federal government related to offering plans under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). He continued his internship a few days a week into the fall and spring semesters, balancing the work with his final college courses.

“I really wanted to see this important project through,” Stephen says. “That was meaningful to me.”

A few months after graduating from UTC in 2019, he joined BlueCross as an actuarial assistant working with one of the company’s actuaries on monthly reporting projects for the company’s employer group and ACA Marketplace business.

“My first manager helped to develop me as an actuary while I learned about the business and took exams to earn my actuarial credentials,” he says.

Taking trends into consideration

[caption id="attachment_22214" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Stephen with this wife and daughter[/caption]

In 2023, Stephen became credentialed by the Society of Actuaries and took on the role of actuarial consultant and more recently, principal actuarial consultant. The job, he says, is twofold.

“In a constantly evolving health care environment, we try to measure or forecast things that could influence health care costs and how that could impact the plans we offer,” Stephen says.

That forecasting happens with input from teams across the company offering subject matter expertise on what they see going on in the world of health care.

It considers things like new drugs and therapies coming to market, regulatory changes, and provider networks, among others. It also considers the care members seek and where they get it, and conditions or catastrophic events that result in lengthy periods of hospitalization or care.

The reward of his work

The second part of Stephen’s role is translating that data and analyses into relevant and actionable information for teams throughout BlueCross.

[tweetit]“We present trend reviews so our BlueCross business leaders can make the best decisions for our members in terms of affordability, and also offer coverage that helps meet customer needs,” Stephen says.

For Stephen, there’s great reward in knowing that the actuarial team can guide decisions about health coverage that help to limit members’ exposure to financial uncertainty from unexpected or catastrophic medical expenses.

“I study health care trends so that we can appropriately price our plans to be accessible, competitive and sustainable so that our members know we’ll be here for them,” he says.

An appreciation for the outdoors and fatherhood

Born and raised in Chattanooga, Stephen enjoys the many outdoor activities the area has to offer, especially hiking. He and his wife have also made several trips to Montana.

“We have family that moved out west, and we’ve gone to Glacier National Park for the last few years. It’s incredible,” he says.

He also loves fishing – all types, including fly fishing. As a new dad, he hopes to instill a passion for outdoor activities in his daughter.

“I’ve loved every minute of these first months of parenting,” Stephen says.

Stephen has also played the piano since childhood. He credits his grandfather for pushing him to continue taking lessons when it wasn’t his highest priority during his adolescent years.

“I’m always trying to learn new classical music pieces now,” he says. “It would mean a lot to me if my daughter learned to play when she’s old enough.” 

He feels fortunate to have many family members close by in the Chattanooga area. Knowing that he’s living in a place that his ancestors loved grounds him.

“It’s amazing to have such a good support system with parents, grandparents and other relatives so close by,” Stephen says. 

That same type of support is something he hopes BlueCross members feel because of the work he and others at BlueCross do on their behalf. 

“In actuarial and across the company, we work together for a broader purpose,” Stephen says. “We each have a piece of the goal of supporting our members.”