Individual and Small Group Markets Committee members present at the 2018 SOA Health Meeting on examining rules surrounding association health plans, short-term limited duration insurance plans, and health reimbursement arrangements from the Trump Administration.

The C1 Work Group submitted a comment letter to the NAIC Valuation of Securities Task Force on their proposal to add comprehensive instructions for fund investments to the Purposes and Procedures Manual. 

The Social Security Committee released an issue brief on the 2018 Social Security Trustees Report that examines the social insurance program’s long-term solvency issues and recommends that Congress should act soon to improve the long-term financial outlook of the program.

The Long-Term Care & Disability Committee sent comments on proposed legislation to add a long-term care benefit to the Medicare program, evaluating in terms of financing, benefits, and coordination with other programs.

A new issue brief produced by the Individual and Small Group Markets Committee, Drivers of 2019 Health Insurance Premium Changes, provides an overview of the general factors underlying premium rate setting and highlights the major components driving premium changes for 2019. Read the news release.

The Medicare Subcommittee published an issue brief, Medicare’s Financial Condition: Beyond Actuarial Balance, on significant concerns about Medicare’s long-term financial health.

The Life Reserves Work Group submitted a revised APF on the Aggregation of Mortality Segments in response to comments received on their original version of the APF. 

The RBC Tax Reform Work Group submitted its third comment letter to the NAIC Risk-Based Capital Working Group on the impact of tax reform on life RBC calculations. 

The Life Operational Risk Work Group submitted a comment letter to the NAIC Operational Risk (E) Subgroup on incorporating prospective operational risk growth charge into the life Risk-Based Capital formula. 

The Academy released the monograph, Big Data and the Role of the Actuary, at the International Congress of Actuaries meeting in Berlin on June 5. The monograph examines how Big Data is providing actuaries with powerful new analytical tools and opportunities to work on Big Data projects, Academy Past President and Big Data Task Force Chairperson Bob Beuerlein told ICA attendees. Read the news release.

The Life Reserves Work Group submitted an APF which seeks to revise the approach in VM-20 to determine the credited rate for index accounts in the calculation of the Deterministic Reserve (DR). 

The Life Products Committee submitted a comment letter to the NAIC Life Actuarial (A) Task Force on the exposed Actuarial Guideline, Application of Section 6 of the Standard Nonforfeiture Law for Individual Deferred Annuities Model 805.  

The Financial Regulatory Task Force submitted comments to the U.S. House of Representatives on S. 2155, the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act.

Past Academy President Mary D. Miller submitted a letter from the Academy to the NAIC responding to an exposure draft that the Casualty Actuarial and Statistical Task Force has issued containing potential changes to the P/C Statement of Actuarial Opinion Instructions to address the CASTF’s “Attestation” charge.

The AG43/C3P2 Work Group submitted a follow-up comment letter to the NAIC Variable Annuity Issues Working Group on previously submitted recommendations to the working group. 

The Tax Work Group published a paper on frequently asked questions about life insurance tax reserve methods and assumptions. 

The Multiemployer Plans Committee released an issue brief that discusses the costs and risks associated with multiemployer loan programs, and the ways in which these programs could benefit troubled plans and their participants.