The Individual and Small Group Markets Committee submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Center for Consumer Information & Insurance Oversight (CCIIO) on the Draft 2023 Actuarial Value (AV) Calculator Methodology.

The Extreme Events and Property Lines Committee published a new document, Wildfire: An Issue Paper—Lessons Learned from the 2017-2021 Events.

The Asset Modeling and Reporting Work Group submitted comments to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ Life Actuarial (A) Task Force on its proposed second exposure draft of an actuarial guideline (AG) regarding asset adequacy testing.

The Index-Linked Variable Annuities Work Group submitted a comment letter to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ Index-Linked Variable Annuity (A) Subgroup of the Life Insurance and Annuities (A) Committee on a proposed actuarial guideline (AG) regarding Index-Linked Variable Annuities.

The Health Practice Council’s Individual and Small Group Markets Committee, Risk Sharing Subcommittee, and Health Equity Work Group submitted a comment letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on CMS’ proposed rule for the 2023 Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters (NBPP). The letter addresses network adequacy, standardized plan options, several provisions on health equity, updating quality improvement strategy standards and other topics.

The Academy’s Data Science and Analytics Committee (DSAC) presented to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ (NAIC) Casualty Actuarial and Statistical (C) Task Force (CASTF) Book Club on their recent major issue paper, Big Data and Algorithms in Actuarial Modeling and Consumer Impacts.

The ERM/ORSA Committee's comments submitted to the IAIS as part of the association's Public Consultation on the Development of Liquidity Metrics: Phase 2. 

The Health Solvency Subcommittee submitted a report to the NAIC’s Health Risk-Based Capital (E) Working Group regarding the working group’s request of the subcommittee to conduct a comprehensive review of the H2—Underwriting Risk component and managed care credit calculation in the NAIC’s health risk-based capital formula.

In October 2021 the American Academy of Actuaries Health Equity Work Group issued a request for information (RFI) to solicit input to its work assessing whether and how health actuarial practices and methods affect health disparities. The comment/submission period has now been extended to February 15, 2022.

The Academy created the Health Equity Work Group with a goal of contributing to efforts to reduce health disparities and improve health equity among racial and ethnic minority populations and underserved or under-resourced communities through actuarial practice and to facilitate providing actuarial input into the public policy process.

Health actuaries often partner with other professionals in many different aspects of the health care and health insurance systems, including those related to administration, financing, and care management. The Health Equity Work Group has identified four areas in which health actuaries are involved that may affect health disparities, either by contributing to disparities or by mitigating disparities: health insurance benefit design, provider contracting and network development, premium pricing, and managing population risk. The work group is also exploring data collection issues. More information about their work and publications thus far is available here.

Learn more about the RFI here. The comment deadline is February 15, 2022. Comments should be submitted via email to healthequityRFI@actuary.org. Please include the phrase “HEWG Request for Information” in the subject line and do not password-protect any attachments. Comments may be sent via conventional mail to: Health Equity Work Group (HEWG), American Academy of Actuaries, 1850 M Street NW Suite 300, Washington, DC 20036.

The Pension Committee published an issue brief providing information to help the reader better understand the complexities involved in the measurement of life expectancy estimates.

The C-2 Longevity Risk Work Group submitted comments to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ Longevity Risk (A/E) Subgroup on reserve implications of expanding the scope of C-2 Longevity Risk-Based Capital requirements to include longevity reinsurance contracts in the proposed Principle-Based Reserving framework.

The Committee on Property and Liability Financial Reporting (COPLFR) released the practice note, Statements of Actuarial Opinion on P/C Loss Reserves (2021), which includes discussion regarding changes in the NAIC Annual Statement Instructions—Property/Casualty (NAIC Annual Statement Instructions) regarding the Actuarial Opinion, the Actuarial Opinion Summary, and Actuarial Report, as well as COVID-19 considerations.

The Academy sent a letter to the chairs of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ (NAIC’s) Life Actuarial (A) Task Force and Life Risk-Based Capital (E) Working Group indicating an “as-is” availability of its economic scenario generator, the Academy Interest Rate Generator (AIRG) for those regulators and interested parties wishing to modify the AIRG parameters as a basis for producing an updated model.

Senior Casualty Fellow Rich Gibson presented to the NAIC’s Property and Casualty Insurance (C) Committee on behalf of the Academy’s Automobile Insurance Committee to provide general and actuarial considerations on the topic of auto insurance refunds. 

The Workers' Compensation Committee released an 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 Tax Work Group published their updated FAQs regarding certain insurance reserves held by insurance companies for the purpose of determining U.S. taxable income under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.

Former Life Vice President Laura Hanson presented an update of Life Practice Council activities to the Life Actuarial (A) Task Force at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners 2021 Virtual Fall National Meeting.

Casualty Practice Council (CPC) Vice Chairperson Dee Dee Mays and Committee on Property and Liability Financial Reporting (COPLFR) Chairperson Derek Freihaut presented to the NAIC’s Casualty Actuarial and Statistical (C) Task Force (CASTF) on behalf of the CPC and COPLFR on recent publications and future work products expected for release in early 2022.

The Life Underwriting and Risk Classification Work Group submitted comments to the NAIC’s Accelerated Underwriting (A) Working Group on its paper summarizing the output of the working group’s recommendations and assessment to understand the current state of the life insurance industry and its use of accelerated underwriting.

A Life Practice Council ad-hoc task force submitted comments to the NAIC’s Life Actuarial (A) Task Force (LATF) on a proposed actuarial guideline (AG) regarding asset adequacy testing.