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Managed Care
The Managed Care industry offers health insurance products for individual, commercial, Medicare and Medicaid members. Entities also provide administrative services and network access for self-funded insurance plans and manage pharmacy benefits. Enrolment in managed care traditionally has been correlated with employment rates, whereas revenue is driven by medical cost inflation. Legislative uncertainty and a focus on reducing health care costs may create downward pricing pressure and continue to drive industry consolidation. In addition, a focus on patient outcomes and plan performance continues to shape the industry’s sustainability risks and opportunities.
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Education
The Education industry includes education institutions that are profit-seeking and generate revenue from student fees. At the primary and secondary levels, this includes mostly education management organisations (EMOs) and some businesses. At the tertiary (or higher) level, services are delivered on a full-time, part-time, distance-learning, and occasional basis across establishments such as junior colleges, business and secretarial schools, colleges, universities, and professional schools including medical, pharmaceutical, and veterinary programs. An increasing number of students in for-profit universities take courses online.
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Relevant Issues for both Industries (6 of 26)

Why are some issues greyed out?

The SASB Standards vary by industry based on the different sustainability-related risks and opportunities within an industry. The issues in grey were not identified during the standard-setting process as the most likely to be useful to investors, so they are not included in the Standard. Over time, as the ISSB continues to receive market feedback, some issues may be added or removed from the Standard. Each company determines which sustainability-related risks and opportunities are relevant to its business. The Standard is designed for the typical company in an industry, but individual companies may choose to report on different sustainability-related risks and opportunities based on their unique business model.

Environment
- GHG Emissions
- Air Quality
- Energy Management
- Water & Wastewater Management
- Waste & Hazardous Materials Management
- Ecological Impacts
Social Capital
- Human Rights & Community Relations
- Customer Privacy
- Data Security
  The category addresses management of risks related to collection, retention, and use of sensitive, confidential, and/or proprietary customer or user data. It includes social issues that may arise from incidents such as data breaches in which personally identifiable information (PII) and other user or customer data may be exposed. It addresses a company’s strategy, policies, and practices related to IT infrastructure, staff training, record keeping, cooperation with law enforcement, and other mechanisms used to ensure security of customer or user data.
- Access & Affordability
  The category addresses a company’s ability to ensure broad access to its products and services, specifically in the context of underserved markets and/or population groups. It includes the management of issues related to universal needs, such as the accessibility and affordability of health care, financial services, utilities, education, and telecommunications.
- Product Quality & Safety
  The category addresses issues involving unintended characteristics of products sold or services provided that may create health or safety risks to end-users. It addresses a company’s ability to offer manufactured products and/or services that meet customer expectations with respect to their health and safety characteristics. It includes, but is not limited to, issues involving liability, management of recalls and market withdrawals, product testing, and chemicals/content/ingredient management in products.
- Customer Welfare
  The category addresses customer welfare concerns over issues including, but not limited to, health and nutrition of foods and beverages, antibiotic use in animal production, and management of controlled substances. The category addresses the company’s ability to provide consumers with manufactured products and services that are aligned with societal expectations. It does not include issues directly related to quality and safety malfunctions of manufactured products and services, but instead addresses qualities inherent to the design and delivery of products and services where customer welfare may be in question. The scope of the category also captures companies’ ability to prevent counterfeit products.
- Selling Practices & Product Labeling
  The category addresses social issues that may arise from a failure to manage the transparency, accuracy, and comprehensibility of marketing statements, advertising, and labeling of products and services. It includes, but is not limited to, advertising standards and regulations, ethical and responsible marketing practices, misleading or deceptive labeling, as well as discriminatory or predatory selling and lending practices. This may include deceptive or aggressive selling practices in which incentive structures for employees could encourage the sale of products or services that are not in the best interest of customers or clients.
Human Capital
- Labour Practices
- Employee Health & Safety
- Employee Engagement, Diversity & Inclusion
Business Model and Innovation
- Product Design & Lifecycle Management
- Business Model Resilience
- Supply Chain Management
- Materials Sourcing & Efficiency
- Physical Impacts of Climate Change
  The category addresses the company’s ability to manage risks and opportunities associated with direct exposure of its owned or controlled assets and operations to actual or potential physical impacts of climate change. It captures environmental and social issues that may arise from operational disruptions due to physical impacts of climate change. It further captures socio-economic issues resulting from companies failing to incorporate climate change consideration in products and services sold, such as insurance policies and mortgages. The category relates to the company’s ability to adapt to increased frequency and severity of extreme weather, shifting climate, sea level risk, and other expected physical impacts of climate change. Management may involve enhancing resiliency of physical assets and/or surrounding infrastructure as well as incorporation of climate change-related considerations into key business activities (e.g., mortgage and insurance underwriting, planning and development of real estate projects).
Leadership and Governance
- Business Ethics
- Competitive Behaviour
- Management of the Legal & Regulatory Environment
- Critical Incident Risk Management
- Systemic Risk Management

Disclosure Topics

What is the relationship between General Issue Category and Disclosure Topics?

The General Issue Category is an industry-agnostic version of the Disclosure Topics that appear in each SASB Standard. Disclosure topics represent the industry-specific impacts of General Issue Categories. The industry-specific Disclosure Topics ensure each SASB Standard is tailored to the industry, while the General Issue Categories enable comparability across industries. For example, Health & Nutrition is a disclosure topic in the Non-Alcoholic Beverages industry, representing an industry-specific measure of the general issue of Customer Welfare. The issue of Customer Welfare, however, manifests as the Counterfeit Drugs disclosure topic in the Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals industry.

Managed Care Remove
Access Standard
- Data Security
  The category addresses management of risks related to collection, retention, and use of sensitive, confidential, and/or proprietary customer or user data. It includes social issues that may arise from incidents such as data breaches in which personally identifiable information (PII) and other user or customer data may be exposed. It addresses a company’s strategy, policies, and practices related to IT infrastructure, staff training, record keeping, cooperation with law enforcement, and other mechanisms used to ensure security of customer or user data.
  - Customer Privacy & Technology Standards
    Applicable jurisdictional laws or regulations may establish various data security requirements relating to the use, disclosure, storage and transmission of patient health information. Entities are required to develop policies and technical safeguards to protect patient health information. A failure to comply with these standards can lead to significant civil and criminal penalties. These risks are intensified by an increase in cyberattacks that target managed care entities.
- Access & Affordability
  The category addresses a company’s ability to ensure broad access to its products and services, specifically in the context of underserved markets and/or population groups. It includes the management of issues related to universal needs, such as the accessibility and affordability of health care, financial services, utilities, education, and telecommunications.
  - Access to Coverage
    Entities in the Managed Care industry may improve a population’s access to health care by limiting plan costs and rate increases for health insurance in jurisdictions where private health insurance is prevalent. These improvements most significantly affect segments of the population that tend to have lower rates of insurance coverage. These entities generally must also comply with regulations intended to control plan costs, including medical loss ratios, as well as ensuring all applicants have access to coverage regardless of health status, gender or pre-existing conditions. Increased regulatory focus on health care costs and compliance with evolving regulations continue to present challenges for the industry.
- Product Quality & Safety
  The category addresses issues involving unintended characteristics of products sold or services provided that may create health or safety risks to end-users. It addresses a company’s ability to offer manufactured products and/or services that meet customer expectations with respect to their health and safety characteristics. It includes, but is not limited to, issues involving liability, management of recalls and market withdrawals, product testing, and chemicals/content/ingredient management in products.
  - Plan Performance
    Managed care entities manage performance in areas such as responsiveness, complaints, voluntary disenrollment and customer service to maintain competitiveness. In some jurisdictions, performance on important metrics may be factored into reimbursement rates and bonus payments. Disclosure on specific indicators related to plan performance may allow investors to understand how entities protect enterprise value.
- Customer Welfare
  The category addresses customer welfare concerns over issues including, but not limited to, health and nutrition of foods and beverages, antibiotic use in animal production, and management of controlled substances. The category addresses the company’s ability to provide consumers with manufactured products and services that are aligned with societal expectations. It does not include issues directly related to quality and safety malfunctions of manufactured products and services, but instead addresses qualities inherent to the design and delivery of products and services where customer welfare may be in question. The scope of the category also captures companies’ ability to prevent counterfeit products.
  - Improved Outcomes
    Entities in the Managed Care industry can play a critical role in maintaining and improving the health of enrolees. Improved enrolee health can help entities develop a reputation for high-quality care, potentially leading to increased market share and improved margins. Some entities may participate in programmes that try to strengthen the relationship between enrolee health and entity value by linking employee performance to reimbursement rates and bonuses. Entities that take part in such programmes may develop a competitive advantage compared to those that do not. Entities that fail to deliver high-quality outcomes for enrolees may experience decreased market share, penalties such as fines and suspensions, and increased legal costs.
- Selling Practices & Product Labeling
  The category addresses social issues that may arise from a failure to manage the transparency, accuracy, and comprehensibility of marketing statements, advertising, and labeling of products and services. It includes, but is not limited to, advertising standards and regulations, ethical and responsible marketing practices, misleading or deceptive labeling, as well as discriminatory or predatory selling and lending practices. This may include deceptive or aggressive selling practices in which incentive structures for employees could encourage the sale of products or services that are not in the best interest of customers or clients.
  
  None
- Physical Impacts of Climate Change
  The category addresses the company’s ability to manage risks and opportunities associated with direct exposure of its owned or controlled assets and operations to actual or potential physical impacts of climate change. It captures environmental and social issues that may arise from operational disruptions due to physical impacts of climate change. It further captures socio-economic issues resulting from companies failing to incorporate climate change consideration in products and services sold, such as insurance policies and mortgages. The category relates to the company’s ability to adapt to increased frequency and severity of extreme weather, shifting climate, sea level risk, and other expected physical impacts of climate change. Management may involve enhancing resiliency of physical assets and/or surrounding infrastructure as well as incorporation of climate change-related considerations into key business activities (e.g., mortgage and insurance underwriting, planning and development of real estate projects).
  - Climate Change Impacts on Human Health
    An increase in extreme weather events associated with climate change could have significant health impacts. These events, coupled with the potential spread of infectious diseases and food and water scarcity, may present material implications for the Managed Care industry through an increase in encounters with the health care system. Entities that manage the risks posed by extreme weather events and potential changes in the incidence, morbidity and mortality of illnesses and diseases may protect shareholder value better.
Education Remove
Access Standard
- Data Security
  The category addresses management of risks related to collection, retention, and use of sensitive, confidential, and/or proprietary customer or user data. It includes social issues that may arise from incidents such as data breaches in which personally identifiable information (PII) and other user or customer data may be exposed. It addresses a company’s strategy, policies, and practices related to IT infrastructure, staff training, record keeping, cooperation with law enforcement, and other mechanisms used to ensure security of customer or user data.
  - Data Security
    Colleges and universities are frequent and compelling targets for cyber criminals. The industry may face data security risks because of the large number of personal records processed and stored, the mix of intellectual property and personally identifiable information held (for example, national identification numbers, vaccination records or other information required for admission), and the open, collabourative environment of many campuses. The exposure of sensitive information through cybersecurity breaches, other malicious activities or student negligence may result in significant social externalities such as identity fraud and theft. Data breaches may compromise public perception of the effectiveness of a school’s security measures, which may result in reputational damage and difficulty in attracting and retaining students, as well as significant costs to fix the consequences of a breach and prevent future breaches. Enhanced disclosure regarding the number and nature of security breaches, management strategies to address these risks, and policies and procedures to protect student information may allow investors to understand the effectiveness of management strategies that schools employ regarding this issue.
- Access & Affordability
  The category addresses a company’s ability to ensure broad access to its products and services, specifically in the context of underserved markets and/or population groups. It includes the management of issues related to universal needs, such as the accessibility and affordability of health care, financial services, utilities, education, and telecommunications.
  
  None
- Product Quality & Safety
  The category addresses issues involving unintended characteristics of products sold or services provided that may create health or safety risks to end-users. It addresses a company’s ability to offer manufactured products and/or services that meet customer expectations with respect to their health and safety characteristics. It includes, but is not limited to, issues involving liability, management of recalls and market withdrawals, product testing, and chemicals/content/ingredient management in products.
  
  None
- Customer Welfare
  The category addresses customer welfare concerns over issues including, but not limited to, health and nutrition of foods and beverages, antibiotic use in animal production, and management of controlled substances. The category addresses the company’s ability to provide consumers with manufactured products and services that are aligned with societal expectations. It does not include issues directly related to quality and safety malfunctions of manufactured products and services, but instead addresses qualities inherent to the design and delivery of products and services where customer welfare may be in question. The scope of the category also captures companies’ ability to prevent counterfeit products.
  - Quality of Education & Gainful Employment
    Increasing tuition payments require more students to finance their education with government and private loans. Rapid growth in student debt creates significant economic and social negative externalities if student loans go into default. Many programmes at for-profit colleges prepare students for gainful employment in recognised occupations. Entities that provide high-quality education and facilitate completion of programmes increase the chances of graduates obtaining employment and paying their loans. In the absence of sufficient educational and career management support, students may graduate with high debt and few skills valued by employers. Entities that perform poorly on accountability metrics such as graduation rates, default rates and job placement rates may jeopardise important governmental funding sources. At the same time, transparent disclosure of these metrics to prospective students is related directly to institutions’ ability to attract and retain students.
- Selling Practices & Product Labeling
  The category addresses social issues that may arise from a failure to manage the transparency, accuracy, and comprehensibility of marketing statements, advertising, and labeling of products and services. It includes, but is not limited to, advertising standards and regulations, ethical and responsible marketing practices, misleading or deceptive labeling, as well as discriminatory or predatory selling and lending practices. This may include deceptive or aggressive selling practices in which incentive structures for employees could encourage the sale of products or services that are not in the best interest of customers or clients.
  - Marketing & Recruiting Practices
    For-profit education entities that grow the number of students that they admit and enrol will increase revenue. Therefore, entities may adopt aggressive recruitment strategies, such as spending significant amounts of money on marketing rather than on instruction and student services. Such aggressive recruiting practices have resulted in additional public and regulatory scrutiny of for-profit education entities. Using false or misleading advertisements to recruit prospective students may result in significant fines for entities and loss of eligibility for government-funded student loans. Limited funding sources may create incentives for entities to mislead students into taking private loans they are unable to repay, presenting a significant reputational risk to entities in the industry. Enhanced disclosure may allow investors to understand entity policies and practices for marketing and recruiting to attract students.
- Physical Impacts of Climate Change
  The category addresses the company’s ability to manage risks and opportunities associated with direct exposure of its owned or controlled assets and operations to actual or potential physical impacts of climate change. It captures environmental and social issues that may arise from operational disruptions due to physical impacts of climate change. It further captures socio-economic issues resulting from companies failing to incorporate climate change consideration in products and services sold, such as insurance policies and mortgages. The category relates to the company’s ability to adapt to increased frequency and severity of extreme weather, shifting climate, sea level risk, and other expected physical impacts of climate change. Management may involve enhancing resiliency of physical assets and/or surrounding infrastructure as well as incorporation of climate change-related considerations into key business activities (e.g., mortgage and insurance underwriting, planning and development of real estate projects).
  
  None

General Issue Category

Remove Managed Care Access Standard

Remove Education Access Standard

Data Security

Customer Privacy & Technology Standards
Applicable jurisdictional laws or regulations may establish various data security requirements relating to the use, disclosure, storage and transmission of patient health information. Entities are required to develop policies and technical safeguards to protect patient health information. A failure to comply with these standards can lead to significant civil and criminal penalties. These risks are intensified by an increase in cyberattacks that target managed care entities.

Data Security
Colleges and universities are frequent and compelling targets for cyber criminals. The industry may face data security risks because of the large number of personal records processed and stored, the mix of intellectual property and personally identifiable information held (for example, national identification numbers, vaccination records or other information required for admission), and the open, collabourative environment of many campuses. The exposure of sensitive information through cybersecurity breaches, other malicious activities or student negligence may result in significant social externalities such as identity fraud and theft. Data breaches may compromise public perception of the effectiveness of a school’s security measures, which may result in reputational damage and difficulty in attracting and retaining students, as well as significant costs to fix the consequences of a breach and prevent future breaches. Enhanced disclosure regarding the number and nature of security breaches, management strategies to address these risks, and policies and procedures to protect student information may allow investors to understand the effectiveness of management strategies that schools employ regarding this issue.

Access & Affordability

Access to Coverage
Entities in the Managed Care industry may improve a population’s access to health care by limiting plan costs and rate increases for health insurance in jurisdictions where private health insurance is prevalent. These improvements most significantly affect segments of the population that tend to have lower rates of insurance coverage. These entities generally must also comply with regulations intended to control plan costs, including medical loss ratios, as well as ensuring all applicants have access to coverage regardless of health status, gender or pre-existing conditions. Increased regulatory focus on health care costs and compliance with evolving regulations continue to present challenges for the industry.

Product Quality & Safety

Plan Performance
Managed care entities manage performance in areas such as responsiveness, complaints, voluntary disenrollment and customer service to maintain competitiveness. In some jurisdictions, performance on important metrics may be factored into reimbursement rates and bonus payments. Disclosure on specific indicators related to plan performance may allow investors to understand how entities protect enterprise value.

Customer Welfare

Improved Outcomes
Entities in the Managed Care industry can play a critical role in maintaining and improving the health of enrolees. Improved enrolee health can help entities develop a reputation for high-quality care, potentially leading to increased market share and improved margins. Some entities may participate in programmes that try to strengthen the relationship between enrolee health and entity value by linking employee performance to reimbursement rates and bonuses. Entities that take part in such programmes may develop a competitive advantage compared to those that do not. Entities that fail to deliver high-quality outcomes for enrolees may experience decreased market share, penalties such as fines and suspensions, and increased legal costs.

Quality of Education & Gainful Employment
Increasing tuition payments require more students to finance their education with government and private loans. Rapid growth in student debt creates significant economic and social negative externalities if student loans go into default. Many programmes at for-profit colleges prepare students for gainful employment in recognised occupations. Entities that provide high-quality education and facilitate completion of programmes increase the chances of graduates obtaining employment and paying their loans. In the absence of sufficient educational and career management support, students may graduate with high debt and few skills valued by employers. Entities that perform poorly on accountability metrics such as graduation rates, default rates and job placement rates may jeopardise important governmental funding sources. At the same time, transparent disclosure of these metrics to prospective students is related directly to institutions’ ability to attract and retain students.

Selling Practices & Product Labeling

Marketing & Recruiting Practices
For-profit education entities that grow the number of students that they admit and enrol will increase revenue. Therefore, entities may adopt aggressive recruitment strategies, such as spending significant amounts of money on marketing rather than on instruction and student services. Such aggressive recruiting practices have resulted in additional public and regulatory scrutiny of for-profit education entities. Using false or misleading advertisements to recruit prospective students may result in significant fines for entities and loss of eligibility for government-funded student loans. Limited funding sources may create incentives for entities to mislead students into taking private loans they are unable to repay, presenting a significant reputational risk to entities in the industry. Enhanced disclosure may allow investors to understand entity policies and practices for marketing and recruiting to attract students.

Physical Impacts of Climate Change

Climate Change Impacts on Human Health
An increase in extreme weather events associated with climate change could have significant health impacts. These events, coupled with the potential spread of infectious diseases and food and water scarcity, may present material implications for the Managed Care industry through an increase in encounters with the health care system. Entities that manage the risks posed by extreme weather events and potential changes in the incidence, morbidity and mortality of illnesses and diseases may protect shareholder value better.

Relevant Issues for both Industries (6 of 26)

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