Meet
Kirsten Stryker Blasch

Associate Principal

Kirsten Stryker Blasch provides actuarial expertise for payers, providers, and life sciences companies to help them navigate complex payment, reimbursement, and regulatory policies.

Before joining Avalere, Kirsten was an actuary at Humana where she supported the Medicare Advantage and Part D bid submission process and Managed Medicaid business. During her time at Humana, Kirsten served as the certifying actuary for Medicare Advantage bids covering the state of Florida, provided strategic guidance for plan benefit design, analyzed financial readiness to facilitate Medicaid request for proposal responses, and served as the Part D point of contact between Humana and bid reviewers at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Kirsten holds a BS in mathematical decision sciences from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is a fellow of the Society of Actuaries and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries.

Authored Content


Finalized updates to the Part D risk adjustment model to further separate MA-PDs and PDPs will change plan payments for certain conditions.

MA payment growth slows in 2027, possibly signaling further disruption in plan availability and enrollment.

In a reversal of recent trends, PDP enrollment rose 7% in 2026, while MA-PD enrollment fell 0.5%, with shifts among large sponsors.

CMS’s post-IRA updates to the RxHCC risk adjustment model have varying effects on plan loss ratios across therapeutic areas.

In the CY 2027 Medicare Advantage policymaking cycle, the Trump administration is expected to propose changes to payments, oversight, and Star Ratings.

Avalere Health examines how new federal and state efforts to oversee PBM-pharmacy ownership may affect stakeholders systemwide.

Continued NAMBA increases and changes to the Part D Premium Stabilization Demonstration may signal further destabilization of the standalone PDP market.

Avalere Health Advisory experts break down major updates to the CMS Medicare Advantage (MA) Risk Adjustment Data Validation (RADV) audit process, including enhanced technology, workforce expansion, and increased audit volume, and how health plans can prepare.

Across three therapeutic areas, an Avalere Health analysis identified commercial plan coverage policies with more steps than indicated by drugs’ FDA labels.

Avalere Health Advisory experts explore how the Trump Administration approached Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D policies proposed by the Biden Administration, ranging from anti-obesity medication coverage to plan payment increases

Year-over-year enrollment growth in MA and Part D slowed in 2025. Although, enrollment in chronic condition special needs plans experienced significant growth.

Analysis of Part D plans including step therapy in prior authorization and the frequency of step therapy criteria that include steps beyond the drugs’ FDA labels.

The number of PDP and MA-PD options are declining by 26% and 7%, respectively, in 2025.

With the release of the IPAY 2026 MFPs, health plans should analyze the impact to formularies and identify opportunities for contracting changes.

Given increased plan liability under the IRA and uncertainty from late changes to Star Ratings, plans should strategize for their Rebate Reallocation process.

The second installment of our Health Plan series examines how clinical care will shift in reaction to changes in demographics, technology, and environmental factors.