Life Experience Work Group Releases Discussion Brief on Inflation 

The Data Science and Analytics Committee (DSAC) released an issue brief, Big Data and Algorithms in Actuarial Modeling and Consumer Impacts. It outlines big data issues confronting actuaries and initiates discussion on how big data and artificial intelligence impact the consumer insurance experience, and covers how insurers and regulators can collaborate to resolve potential issues. The issue brief follows an issue paper of the same name released in November 2021.

The Medicaid Committee released a public policy issue brief providing an overview of Medicaid managed care state-directed payments. The brief discusses: how these payments have evolved from supplemental and pass-through payments; recent changes to federal guidance governing them; and recommendations from the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC).

The Academy's Social Security Committee released an issue brief that explores a wide variety of proposals made over the years for changing the formulas for determining benefits by members of Congress, government-appointed panels and commissions, and outside experts, with an eye toward how the proposed changes would affect the balance between individual equity and social adequacy.

The Academy's Social Security Committee released an issue brief that explores a wide variety of proposals made over the years for increasing the system’s revenue by members of Congress, government-appointed panels and commissions, and outside experts.

The Academy's Lifetime Income Risk Joint Committee released an issue brief that that provides a discussion of a variety of approaches for adding annuity options to defined contribution (DC) plans providing for insured lifetime income that begins immediately, is deferred, or is provided under an accumulation product that converts funds to lifetime income.

The Academy's Lifetime Income Risk Joint Committee released an issue brief that provides a discussion of the various types of insured annuities available to individuals and their potential uses, as well as some relevant tax implications.

The Academy's Lifetime Income Risk Joint Committee released an issue brief providing a discussion of Qualifying Longevity Annuity Contracts (QLACs), which are insured annuities paid out one or more years after purchase, possibly starting at an advanced age.

The Health Equity Committee released a public policy issue brief on health care and health insurance system risk assessment and risk adjustment in the context of health equity. Risk assessment and risk adjustment are valuable tools that are used for a variety of purposes and are being reexamined to understand whether and how they should incorporate social risk factors.

The Academy's Social Security Committee has released a one-pager to accompany its issue brief on the 2022 Social Security Trustees Report examining the latest detailed annual assessment by the federal government of the program’s solvency.

Workers' Compensation Committee issue brief discussing the growing importance of telehealth for workers' compensation insurers, variations across different states, and opportunities for the actuarial profession to help all parties involved better direct their efforts and maximize the return of any telehealth initiatives. 

The Data Science and Analytics Committee, in partnership with the Racial Equity Task Force, released a major issue brief, An Actuarial View of Correlation and Causation - From Interpretation to Practice to Implications. The issue brief provides a discussion of key questions that actuaries may encounter as they work in the risk classification domain; actuarial practices surrounding data, predictive modeling, and risk classification that are also key considerations for public policymaking and regulatory efforts aimed at ensuring that insurance practices are not “unfairly discriminatory.”

Racial Equity Task Force issue brief discusses potential options to obtaining protected class information on insureds in the P&C insurance industry to test for practices that may disproportionally harm members of any protected classes. It also evaluates three general data collection methods—collecting additional data, capturing existing external data, or imputing data—for desirable attributes such as accuracy, efficiency, and the size of the data set.

The Individual and Small Group Markets Committee released an issue brief laying out the factors underlying premium rate setting and highlighting the major components driving premium changes in the individual and small group markets for 2023.

Sources of Information on Life Insurance COVID Mortality 

Social Security Committee issue brief on 2022 Social Security Trustees Report examining the latest detailed annual assessment by the federal government of the program’s solvency.

The Medicare Committee released an issue brief on the financing challenges facing the Medicare program based on the 2022 Medicare Trustees Report.

COVID-19 in Life Insurance Mortality Improvement Discussion Brief 

The Long-Term Care (LTC) Reform Subcommittee’s LTC Actuarial Equivalence Work Group released the public policy issue brief, Value of Reduced Benefit Options in Long-Term Care Insurance Rate Increases. This issue brief examines the relationship of benefits to premiums for reduced benefit options (RBOs) in the context of ongoing long-term care insurance (LTCI) premium rate increases.

Pension Committee issue brief highlighting key considerations around potential modifications to single employer pension plan funding rules.

The Health Care Delivery Committee released an issue brief on the “Implications of Hospital Price Transparency on Hospital Prices and Price Variation.” The brief emphasizes that price transparency may be a necessary, but not sufficient mechanism, to lower hospital prices and health care spending.

Series of Retirement System Assessment and Policy Committee issue briefs published between July 2019 and March 2022 laying out guiding principles for a comprehensive national retirement policy.

Retirement System Assessment and Policy Committee issue brief analyzing how retirement program design can impact decisions that participants make with the goal of improving retirement security.

Social Security Committee issue brief examining the potential effects of increasing the Social Security normal retirement age.

Pension Committee issue brief explaining complexities involved in the measurement of life expectancy estimates.

Workers' Compensation Committee issue brief on potential impacts to injured workers, employers and insurers involved in the opioid epidemic, and explores the effects on these stakeholders before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The Medicaid Committee released an issue paper, Considerations for Reflecting the Impact of COVID-19 in Medicaid Managed Care Plan Rate Setting, which explores key components of rate setting during or shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic, including data, assumptions and adjustments, risk mitigation, and communication.

Retirement System Assessment and Policy Committee issue brief exploring the potential to redefine the role of employers involved in retirement programs by removing many of the direct responsibilities from employers.

Retirement System Assessment and Policy Committee issue brief examining issues pertaining to newer and novel plan designs as they relate to risk sharing between plan sponsors and participants.

Health Equity Work Group (HEWG) released a discussion brief, Health Equity from an Actuarial Perspective: Managing Population Health. This discussion brief is the final in the series developed by the HEWG to provide more context on issues raised in the initial discussion brief, Health Equity from an Actuarial Perspective: Questions to Explore. This series was undertaken by the HEWG to lay the groundwork for their future exploration and research into health disparities.