Full Agenda – Thursday, November 13, 2014
8:00 – 9:00
(1 hr)
Registration & Breakfast
9:00 – 9:30
(30 min)
Opening Session and Presentation of the Jarvis Farley Service Award to Stephen Kellison
Tom Terry, President
9:30 – 10:30
(1 hr)
Opening Keynote Address
Kathleen Sebelius
Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2009 – 2014)
Governor, Kansas (2003 – 2009)
10:30  – 10:45
(15 min)
Break

10:45  – 12:00
(1 hr 15 min)

Casualty
Natural Disasters, From Global to Local
This session will delve into the potential impact on actuarial practice of climate change and natural catastrophes. Panelists will also discuss the future of the National Flood Insurance Program after the Biggert-Waters Reform and subsequent rollbacks of key provisions of this reform legislation.

Moderator: Shawna Ackerman, Incoming Vice President, Casualty Practice Council, American Academy of Actuaries

Panelists: Karen Clark, Karen Clark & Co.; Sonja Larkin Thorne, Consumer Advocate; D. Andrew NealFederal Insurance and Mitigation Administration, FEMA  
 

Health
The Outlook from Capitol Hill
This panel will discuss the legislative outlook following the midterm elections, including not only ACA-related issues but also issues related to long-term care and Medicare.

Moderator: Catherine Murphy-Barron, Incoming Vice President, Health Practice Council, American Academy of Actuaries
 
Panelists: Brett Baker, Professional Staff Member, House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health; Alicia Hennie, Health Policy Advisor, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee; Wendell Primus, Senior Policy Advisor, Office of House Minority Leader
 

Life
Is Nonforfeiture Ready for a Change? Issues and Concerns
This session will feature Academy regulatory, consumer, and industry perspectives on ideas regarding the feasibility of a new nonforfeiture law for life insurance and annuities.

Moderator: John MacBain, Actuarial Resources Corporation

Panelists: John Bruins, American Council of Life Insurers; Brenda Cude, College of Family and Consumer Sciences, University of Georgia; Tomasz Serbinowski, Utah Insurance Department

 
Pension
Retirement for the AGES
This panel will focus on an innovative framework unveiled earlier this year by the Academy’s Pension Practice Council. The framework is based on four principles (Alignment, Governance, Efficiency, and Sustainability) to be used for evaluating retirement plans and systems (both private and public) and retirement-income public policy proposals.

Moderator: Don FuerstSenior Pension Fellow, American Academy of Actuaries

Panelists: Rowland Davis, Center for American Progress; Hank Kim, National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems; Eric Keener, Pension Accounting Committee, American Academy of Actuaries

12:00 – 2:00
(2 hrs)
Lunch
Keynote Speaker
Nora Super
Executive Director, 2015 White House Conference on Aging

Academy Presidential Transition & Annual Meeting
Presentation of Outstanding Volunteerism Awards to David Neve, Donna Novak, Robert J. Rietz, and Stephen Strommen
(Tom Terry and President Elect Mary D. Miller)

2:00 – 2:15
(15 min)
Break

2:15  – 3:30
(1 hr 15 min)

Casualty
Price Optimization/Disparate Impact
This session will examine the issues that price optimization and disparate impact portend for actuarial rate setting. 

Moderator: Dee Dee Mays, Perr & Knight Inc.

Panelists: Arthur Schwartz, North Carolina Insurance Department; Lawrence Mirel, Nelson Brown & Co.

Health
2016 Benefit and Payment Parameters
Federal regulators and Academy representatives will discuss the key ACA rules for 2016 including the 3Rs and the AV/MV calculators.


Moderator: Tom Wildsmith, President-elect designee, American Academy of Actuaries

Panelists: Allison C. YadskoExchange Policy and Operations Group, Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO); Al BinghamOffice of Special Initiatives and Pricing, CCIIO; Jeff WuPayment Policy and Financial Management Group, CCIIO      
 
Life
The Other Side of PBR: Reviewing Results
This session provides insights into possible answers to the question: In a post-state implementation/enactment principle-based reserving (PBR) world, how will the review process work for regulators, auditors, and rating agencies?

Moderator: Randall Stevenson, Consulting Actuary, INS Consulting Inc.

Panelists: Mike Boerner, Texas Department of Insurance; Larry Bruning, National Association of Insurance Commissioners; Scott Robinson, Moody’s Investors Service; Jeffrey Schlinsog, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
 

Pension
Multiemployer Plan Reform
Learn how circumstances over the past 15 years have created unfunded benefit obligations in multiemployer plans that jeopardize both participant benefit security and the competitiveness of the contributing employers. New reports indicate that the PBGC’s inability to handle looming insolvencies necessitates legislative action. The discussion will include current legislative initiatives that attempt to address these deeply troubled plans and foster innovative approaches that could strengthen the multiemployer system and prevent future crises.

Moderator: Eli Greenblum, Vice President, Pension Practice Council, American Academy of Actuaries

Panelists: Christopher M. Bone, Policy, Research, and Analysis Department, Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC); Randy DeFrehnNational Coordinating Committee for Multiemployer Plans; Jean-Pierre AubryCenter for Retirement Research, Boston College

3:30 – 3:45
(15 min)
Break
3:45 – 5:15
(1 hr 30 min)
Public-Sector Pension Plans Plenary
The funded status of state and local government-sponsored pension plans is a major concern for the millions of public-sector workers, retirees, and family members who are beneficiaries of those plans, as well as the current and future taxpayers who share in the financial burden of providing those benefits. Come hear what is being done in Washington and across the country to address this state and local challenge that has been in the national spotlight. The discussion will focus on what makes a public pension plan sustainable or unsustainable and what the actuarial profession can do to provide more reliable information to the public.

Moderator: Bill HallmarkCheiron

Panelists: Stephen Gauthier, Government Finance Officers Association; Melissa Moye, Office of State and Local Finance, Treasury Department; Matthew Smith, Office of the State Actuary, Washington State; Frank Todisco, Government Accountability Office

6:00 – 7:00
(1 hr)
Networking Reception
 
7:00 – 9:00
(2 hr)
Dinner
Mark Russell
Political satirist & entertainer
Presentation of the Robert J. Myers Public Service Award to Ronald V. Gresch
Suggested Dress Code: Business Attire

Full Agenda – Friday, November 14, 2014
7:00 – 8:00
(1 hr)
Breakfast
 
8:00 – 9:25
(1 hr 25 min)
What in the World is Going on Internationally?
Stakeholders, will examine significant issues of international insurance, financial supervision, and standard setting, and how developments in these areas might affect U.S. systems and practices. Topics to be covered in this roundtable include: systemically important financial institutions, ComFrame, the IASB insurance contracts project, IAIS’ international capital standards, and more.

Moderator: William Hines, Vice President, Risk Management & Financial Reporting Council, American Academy of Actuaries

Panelists: Kevin McCarty, Insurance Commissioner, Florida Office of Insurance Regulation; Roy Woodall, Financial Stability Oversight Council; Thomas Sullivan, Federal Reserve Board

9:30 – 10:15
(45 min)
 Keynote Address
Sen. Ben Nelson
Chief Executive Officer, National Association of Insurance Commissioners
10:15 – 10:30
(15 min)
Break

10:30 – 11:45
(1 hr 15 min)

Casualty
TRIA: Terrorism Risk
This session will provide an overview of the federal Terrorism Risk Insurance Program, including an update on the congressional prospects for renewal of the federal backstop and the issues raised during the legislative debate leading up to its reauthorization. 

Panelists: Baird Webel, Congressional Research Service; Cliff Roberti, Housing and Insurance, Committee on Financial Services, U.S. House of Representatives; Jill Naamane, Financial Markets and Community Investments, Government Accountability Office 


Health
Latest Developments on Rate Review Requirements
Federal regulators and Academy representatives will discuss relevant changes to the unified rate review template (URRT) and related rate review requirements.

Moderator: Audrey L. Halvorson, Chairperson, Rate Review Practice Note Work Group, American Academy of Actuaries

Panelists: Doug PenningtonOversight Group, CCIIO; Dennis K. Yu, Oversight Group, CCIIO; David A. Shea, Jr.Vice President, Health Practice Council, American Academy of Actuaries
  

Cross-Practice (Life & Pension)
Lifetime Income
In today’s aging society, retirees are concerned with securing an assured income stream for life. Public policy makers, the retirement industry, and consumers are exploring alternative solutions and legislative changes to increase access to lifetime income. Speakers will address initiatives designed to bring about more widespread access to and use of lifetime income options.

Moderator: Don FuerstSenior Pension Fellow, American Academy of Actuaries

Panelists: Jason BerkowitzInsured Retirement Institute; Jim MumfordIowa Insurance Division, Iowa Department of Commerce; Harlan M. WellerOffice of Tax Policy, U.S. Treasury Department

11:45 – 12:15
(30 min)
Lunch
 
12:15 – 1:30
(1 hr 15 min)
Professionalism Plenary
This session will look at the intersection of public policy and professionalism by examining the requirements of the insider trading laws, including the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act, and the risks potentially posed to those who interact with congressional staff and/or employees of the executive branch on public issues. In addition, others with exposure to Material Non Public Information (MNPI) either through working at a public company or working for companies where one might be a temporary insider exposed to another company’s MNPI will find this a fascinating and useful session. The panelists will explore the potential reach of the prohibitions against insider trading and what steps actuaries (and others) can take to effectively manage the potential risks posed by the law.

Panelists: Steve Salky, Zuckerman Spaeder; Stephen Cohen, Division of Enforcement, Securities and Exchange Commission

The suggested dress code is business casual for the meeting and business attire for the dinner.

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