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.
What’s an actuary?
Academy member Tonya Manning explained to comedian D.L. Hughley what an actuary does during the Jan. 17 broadcast of CNN’s “D.L. Hughley Breaks The News.” The actuarial profession landed on many “best profession” lists in 2009, included Forbes’ best jobs for college graduates and CareerCast’s best jobs rankings, which was published in the Wall Street Journal.
Taking it to the Hill
The Academy’s Chairperson of the Committee on Federal Health Issues David Shea discussed risk pooling during a March 11 Capitol Hill briefing. The Academy hosted several briefings throughout the year for congressional staff and the media as health care reform emerged as one of the top domestic policy agenda items. Academy spokespersons were quoted throughout 2009 on reform topics such as gender considerations, market reform principles, health spending growth, individual mandates, and adverse selection.
Protecting the nest egg
The Academy’s Senior Pension Fellow Frank Todisco appeared on three CNBC programs on April 8 to explain the current condition of state and local pension plans as well as options to improve pension funding levels. Todisco appeared on cable news several times in 2009, was featured on local radio shows, and was frequently quoted in the national business press as he sought to explain various pension and retirement security subjects including longevity risk, pension funding issues, and potential pension takeovers by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. Among others, in 2009 Todisco was a source for articles by the Associated Press, Bloomberg, Newsweek, Kiplinger’s, and FOX Business.
Looming Decisions
Academy Senior Health Fellow Cori Uccello discussed the financial challenges facing the nation’s retirement programs with FOX Business anchor Stuart Varney minutes before the May 12 release of the 2009 Medicare and Social Security trustees’ reports. Academy spokespersons diligently answered questions from reporters about both programs and garnered dozens of placements from an array of print and Web publications including CNN Money, CBS MoneyWatch, U.S. News & World Report and Dallas Morning News. Academy spokespersons also used the opportunity to discuss the Academy’s position statement on Social Security that advocates for an increase in the program’s retirement age.
Trained to Respond
Academy Property and Casualty Extreme Events Committee Co-chairperson Shawna Ackerman, who participated in the Academy’s media training program in 2007, was quoted in a May 30 Associated Press article exploring the homeowners insurance market heading into the 2009 hurricane season. The article was published online by nearly 700 news organizations and in more than 100 newspapers nationwide.
Pooling Resources
The Academy’s Pension Practice Council Vice President Ethan Kra chats with a reporter following a June 22 Capitol Hill briefing on the latest retirement research. Kra, who at the time was the council’s vice chairperson, was on a panel of actuaries including Frank Todisco, the Academy’s senior pension fellow, Andrew Peterson, the Society of Actuaries staff fellow for retirement systems, and Anna Rappaport, a consulting actuary and the president of Rappaport Consulting in Chicago. The briefing was a collaborative venture of the Academy and the Society of Actuaries. The sister organizations also teamed up for a Sept. 29 Hill briefing on lessons learned from the financial crisis.
Gather at the Summit
 High-ranking government officials typically draw a crowd, and the Academy’s financial summit was no exception to the rule. Members of the Washington press corps including international reporters attended the July 20 event to hear U.S. Treasury Assistant Secretary Alan Krueger’s remarks on the economy.
Modeling Reform Costs
A segment during the Oct. 29 broadcast of PBS’s “Nightly Business Report” featured Academy Senior Health Fellow Cori Uccello and discussed a soon-to-be-released technical report from the Academy and the Society of Actuaries on projected start-up capital requirements under different scenarios for health insurance cooperatives and a public plan option. The Academy and the Society of Actuaries also partnered to produce an actuarial analysis of the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports Act (CLASS Act), a health care reform provision to create a federal long-term care program. Since its July release, the analysis has been extensively cited in articles and opinion pieces, including those published by the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today.
Advancing PBA
Larry Bruning, member of the Academy’s Life Practice Council, presents during a VACARVM seminar jointly sponsored by the Academy and the Society of Actuaries. The seminar’s goal was to prepare actuaries for compliance with Actuarial Guideline No. 43, the principle-based reserving valuation guide for variable annuity products that was adopted by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) in 2008. The Academy’s efforts to spearhead the principle-based approach project have been noted in business and trade media all year. Those efforts netted a victory for principle-based approach advocates as the NAIC voted on Sept. 23 to adopt proposed revisions to the standard valuation law.
Browse Actuaries in the News.
Go back to the Record home page. |
About us
