Academy Senior Health Fellow Cori Uccello discussed how to strengthen an individual health insurance coverage mandate. She said that a coverage mandate could be strengthened by providing non-financial incentives to purchase coverage, such as offering health insurance only during an annual open-enrollment period so that people cannot wait until they are sick to purchase insurance.

The Academy was cited in an ongoing, interactive Web feature that tests one's ability to parse through headlines and sound bites to find the truth about health care reform. The Academy was a source on reform components such as an individual health insurance coverage mandate and the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act.

Sen. Lamar Alexander cited a Nov. 20 Academy comment letter regarding health care reform legislation during a Senate session (minute 41). Sen. Alexander also entered the Academy's letter into the Senate record.

The Academy said that the cost of living for single retirees is about 40 percent higher than for couples (on a per person basis) in an article about retiring as a single. Cost of living is higher for singles because couples can share housing and other expenses.

The Academy Life Products Committee's Jan. 10 comments to the Interstate Insurance Product Regulation Commission (IIPRC) Management Committee regarding guaranteed living benefits for individual deferred annuities was quoted in article reporting on the IIPRC Product Standard Committee's decision in favor of a standard allowing annuity carriers to terminate the living benefit of a contract after a change of the contract's ownership.

The Academy's July 22 letter to congressional leaders regarding the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports Act (CLASS Act) was cited and linked. The Academy letter contained recommendations for improving this federal long-term care program and an actuarial analysis conducted by a joint work group of the Academy and Society of Actuaries.

The Academy was cited from its critical issues in health reform paper, Gender Consideration in the Voluntary Individual Health Insurance Market. The Academy wrote that before age 50, women "generally incur higher medical spending than men, even excluding the costs of normal maternity care. This difference in spending translates to higher health insurance premiums on average for women."

The Academy was cited for expressing adverse selection concerns regarding the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act. The Academy said that the adverse selection issues are likely to lead to high premiums and could threaten the viability of the program.

The Academy Life Practice Council's April 6 webinar on principle-based approach updates from the March 2010 National Association of Insurance Commissioners meeting was discussed along with comments from panelists.

The Academy's critical issues in health reform paper on the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act was cited. The Academy wrote that actuarially sound premiums for the new long-term care program could range from $125 to $160 per month.