Public affairs photo gallery
Working with the news media is a vital component of the Academy's efforts to contribute to the development of sound public policy. While the Academy offers actuarial expertise on key public policy issues to lawmakers and regulators, news outlets carry the actuarial message to the broader public.
This photo gallery illustrates just a few of the Academy's recent public affairs activities. It also provides a sample of some of the issues on which the profession's voice is being heard — whether in a TV news interview, through congressional testimony, or during a presentation at a meeting of the NAIC.
Contingencies’ fifteen minutes
Contingencies was introduced to the nation during the Sept. 21 edition of ABC’s “Good Morning America.” Continuing an election-year tradition, Contingencies magazine had invited both presidential campaigns to pen articles addressing health care reform. The articles appeared in the September/October 2008 issue and, soon after, became a significant subject on the campaign trails. The press corps following the candidates was quick to report on the details, resulting in unprecedented media coverage for the Academy’s flagship publication.
 Academy takes lead in USA Today
Subsequent to a background meeting with USA Today’s personal finance team, the Academy became a lead source for the newspaper’s weeklong series “Turning 62: The retirement boom begins.” The series, which ran the week of Jan. 14, analyzed several key issues facing baby boomers, including when to collect Social Security benefits. The Academy also collaborated with USA Today to develop a web tool that accompanied the series. The tool helps boomers determine the value of benefits gained or lost by electing to retire at 62 rather than at older ages. The efforts with USA Today were part of a larger campaign to educate retirees about longevity risk and how it could affect the decision to collect Social Security. The campaign commenced in mid-2007 and continued into 2008—yielding more than 110 media placements.
Social Security statement
The Academy’s Pension Practice Council Vice President Tom Terry discussed the Academy’s position statement on Social Security on Fox Business News on Aug. 4. Earlier in the day, at a National Press Club press conference, Terry and the Academy’s now President-elect Bruce Schobel unveiled the statement, which advocates increasing the program’s retirement age. Schobel and Terry provided interviews for cable news networks and radio shows throughout the country in the days surrounding the release. Their work was paired with broader efforts by the Academy to secure print coverage and support from columnists and editorial boards across the nation. Overall the initial rollout netted more than 125 Web placements, more than 75 print placements, and more than 125 radio and television placements.
 Cat modeling in Wired
Wired magazine’s July cover story looked at how advances in data crunching are changing science, medicine, business, and technology. Included in the feature was an anecdote on how actuaries and the Academy used catastrophe models and terabytes of data to calculate estimated insured losses stemming from terrorist attacks. The article also cited the Academy’s report on terrorism risk insurance that was submitted to the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets.
Media training for Academy spokespeople
John Moore, member of the Academy’s Pension Committee, explains pension funding during a mock interview as part of the Academy’s media training program. Moore was one of 12 actuaries trained during the past year—and one of approximately 75 spokespersons trained since the program’s inception in 2002.
Capitol Hill briefing
The Academy’s Senior Health Fellow Cori Uccello and former Vice President of the Health Practice Council (HPC) John Bertko take questions from Rep. Brian Baird (D-Wash.) following a July Capitol Hill briefing on actuarial equivalence. The briefing was one of three by the Academy’s HPC as part of a broader education effort focused on health care reform. As these issues picked up steam early in the campaign season, the council produced a series of backgrounders and assisted the media by explaining aspects of various reform proposals. These endeavors resulted in several high-profile media placements, including in USA Today and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance. The Academy was also solicited for bylined op-eds on health care reform. Uccello’s piece on curbing health care costs was featured in Delaware’s The News Journal and another on Medicare’s financial challenges was printed in the New Hampshire Union Leader just prior to the state’s primary.
PBR at NCSL
Dave Sandberg, member of the Academy’s Life Practice Council, participated in a panel discussion on principle-based reserving (PBR) at the National Conference of State Legislators legislative forum in New Orleans in July. Sandberg, along with Tom Campbell, the council’s vice president, Donna Claire, chairperson of the Academy’s Life Financial Soundness/Risk Management Committee, and Diane Wallace, member of the Academy’s Life Reinsurance Work Group, all have been quoted throughout the year in various trade media on developments with the PBR project.
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