The Pension Committee published an issue brief addressing the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation’s deficit in its single-employer program. The issue brief concludes that the agency’s methods and assumptions have produced a reasonable representation of the PBGC single-employer program’s current obligation and deficit. The issue brief explains that while policymakers should explore new sources of income to address the deficit, immediate premium increases on plan sponsors are unnecessary and potentially counterproductive. Read the news release.
(August 22, 2013)The Life Practice Council sent its Legislation-In-Brief to the NAIC Principle-Based Reserving Implementation Task Force that outlines details of and support for the NAIC model Standard Valuation Law and PBR methodology. The LPC plans to distribute the brief to state insurance regulators and legislators.
The Minimum Value Practice Note Work Group released a practice note exposure draft related to determinations of minimum value (MV) and actuarial value (AV) under the Affordable Care Act for a 45-day exposure period. Comments on Minimum Value and Actuarial Value Determinations Under the Affordable Care Act should be submitted by September 30.
(August 12, 2013)The Social Security Committee updated its annual issue brief on the 2013 Social Security Trustees Report that outlined the trust fund’s current financial status, long-range estimates of the program’s solvency, and the need to reform the program to ensure sustainable solvency.
(August 12, 2013)Reforms introduced by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) may create uncertainty for health insurance issuers. What does this uncertainty mean for your future financial statements, especially given increased ACA requirements for actuarial estimates in financial reporting? Register for the Aug. 22 webinar to learn about the financial reporting implications of several key provisions of the ACA—premium stabilization programs, new taxes and fees, advanced payments, and existing actuarial liabilities.
(August 07, 2013)Large Group Medical Business Practice Note Work Group released an updated practice note on large group medical business.
(August 07, 2013)The Pension Committee submitted its views to the Department of Labor regarding the agency’s proposal to add lifetime-income information to pension benefit statements. The committee commended the DOL for requiring lifetime income disclosures under section 105 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and offered comments on specific topics, including assumed rates of return, drawdown illustrations, and projected retirement ages.
(August 07, 2013)Senior Pension Fellow Don Fuerst responded by letter to additional questions asked by Chairman Johnson of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security. The letter, related to Mr. Fuerst’s May 23 testimony to the subcommittee, provided further analysis on changing the benefit formula of Social Security, and modifying the program’s early and full retirement ages.
(July 31, 2013)The Enterprise Risk Management Committee released the final version of its practice note, “Insurance Enterprise Risk Management Practices,” which discusses ERM practices within the insurance industry and concepts such as risk culture, risk organization, and risk governance.
Senior Life Fellow Nancy Bennett presented on annuities regulation at the National Conference of Insurance Legislators Summer Meeting.
(July 13, 2013)Casualty VP Mike Angelina presented an actuarial perspective on the future of the National Flood Insurance Program following the 2012 passage of the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act to state legislators at the National Conference of Insurance Legislators Summer Meeting.
(July 11, 2013)The Academy hosted a briefing on the need for retirees to secure a lifetime income. The briefing, "Risky Business: Living Longer Without Income for Life," coincides with the June 19 release of the Lifetime Income Risk Joint Task Force’s discussion paper. The Academy briefed policy makers on how improved life expectancy affects planning for retirement; the challenges to ensuring lifetime income; and potential solutions to the risk of outliving one's income, including emphasizing financial literacy and education, refocusing retirement plan design, and developing policies that support lifetime income needs.
(June 27, 2013)The Health Practice Financial Reporting Committee released a new white paper providing an overview of provisions in the Affordable Care Act - the premium-stabilization programs, new taxes and fees, advanced payments, and existing actuarial liabilities - that may create a certain amount of volatility on future financial statements.
(June 25, 2013)The Extreme Events Committee submitted comments to the Federal Insurance Office on the current state of the market for natural catastrophe insurance.
(June 24, 2013)The American Academy of Actuaries will host a June 27 Capitol Hill briefing that will examine the financial risks of increased lifespans, and the need for retirees to secure lifetime income. The Academy’s Lifetime Income Initiative is part of its continuing effort to provide objective, unbiased information to serve the public and the United States actuarial profession.
(June 20, 2013)The Medicare Steering Committee submits written testimony to the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health regarding a hearing on the 2013 Medicare Trustees Report.
(June 20, 2013)The Academy’s Lifetime Income Risk Joint Task Force, composed of actuaries from the life and pension practice areas, has released its discussion paper, Risky Business: Living Longer Without Income for Life. The discussion paper focuses on the issue of ensuring retirees secure income that lasts their entire lifetime and discusses potential solutions through changes in education, plan design, and federal retirement policy. Read the news release.
(June 19, 2013)