The Comparative Effectiveness Work Group of the Health Care Delivery Committee published an issue brief providing an actuarial overview of comparative effectiveness research, including measuring its impact and its potential to reduce health care costs.

The Non-Guaranteed Elements Work Group submitted a comment letter on the NAIC's Life Insurance Buyer's Guide Q&A Draft. 

The Academy published a new Essential Elements paper, Tax Treatment of Pensions and Insurance Protections, highlighting select tax treatments of pensions and insurance protections, and outlining the potential public policy trade-offs of changes to the tax code. Essential Elements is a series designed to make actuarial analyses of public policy issues clearer to general audiences.

The Life Reinsurance Work Group Submitted a comment letter to the NAIC's Life Actuarial (A) Task Force on yearly renewable term (YRT) reinsurance premiums under Section 20 of the Valuation Manual. 

The Casualty Practice Council sent a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives providing comments on pending legislation to reauthorize and revise the National Flood Insurance Program. Read the news release. 

The Health Practice Council sent a letter to the U.S. Departments of Treasury, Labor, and HHS on the October 12 executive order.

The Academy announced a position statement in support of policy and educational initiatives to increase retirement income options within employer-sponsored defined contribution (DC) plans. Read the news release. 

The Life Products Committee submitted a comment letter to the Actuarial Standards Board regarding a proposed actuarial standard of practice (ASOP) on pricing of life insurance and annuity products.

The Pension Committee submitted a comment letter to the AICPA Employee Benefit Expert Panel on the current ASC 960 reporting standards for defined benefit pension plans.

The Pension Practice Council sent a comment letter to the Missouri State Employees’ Retirement System Board regarding the newly-adopted Terminated-Vested Member Buyout Program.

The Non-Guaranteed Elements Work Group submitted a comment letter to the NAIC’s Life Insurance Buyer’s Guide (A) Working Group regarding the Life Insurance Buyer’s Guide Discussion Draft.

The Committee on Property and Liability Financial Reporting sent a comment letter to the NAIC's Actuarial Opinion Working Group on the possible effects of recent life insurance Valuation Manual changes on Statements of Actuarial Opinion of P/C insurers whose reports include accident and health (A&H) or long-term care (LTC) lines of business.

The Life Reinsurance Work Group sent comments to the NAIC's Statutory Accounting Principles (E) Working Group on exposure draft 2017-28 relating to “Reinsurance Risk Transfer”.

The C1 Work Group sent comments to the NAIC’s Investment Risk-Based Capital (E) Working Group on capital requirements for bonds.

The Committee on Property and Liability Financial Reporting submitted a comment letter to the NAIC’s Statutory Accounting Working Group, expressing concerns over a proposed new definition of reinsurance risk transfer in SSAP No. 62R: Property and Casualty Reinsurance. The letter says that the proposal needs further study and evaluation.

The Asset Adequacy Analysis Practice Note Work Group released a new practice note to assist practicing life actuaries faced with the requirement of asset adequacy analysis.

The Health Practice Council sent comments to U.S. Senate Leadership on the Graham-Cassidy-Heller-Johnson Proposal (GCHJ), which would make revisions to the individual health insurance market and approaches to federal Medicaid funding. 

The PBR Governance Work Group’s VM-31 Review Subgroup sent comments to the NAIC’s Life Actuarial (A) Task Force (LATF) on the exposed VM-31 Amendment Proposal Form (APF).

The Health Practice Council sent a letter to U.S. Senate HELP Committee on efforts to stabilize the individual health insurance market.

The Solvency Committee submitted comments to the NAIC's Group Capital Calculation (E) Working Group on the group capital calculation and the proposed treatment of captives.