Keeping you in the know—the latest news from the Academy
RECENT ACADEMY ACTIVITY |April 1–5, 2024
This Week … In a Minute
Have a minute? Catch up on the week’s top stories with the latest “This Week … In a Minute” video. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to receive alerts as they are released.
NEW: Election Issues Clearinghouse & Actuarially Sound Blog Offer Academy Insights
Unveiled in the March Actuarial Update last week, the new Election 2024: Issues Clearinghouse is focused on six key mega-issues this presidential election year highlighting the Academy’s public policy work. Posts about health care, retirement security, climate change, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and risk management inform, engage, and offer insight into these important evergreen issues.
Also new from the Academy is “Actuarially Sound,” a blog showcasing the profession’s independent and informed insights on these and other high-profile issues likely to be in the spotlight the next four years. Make sure to visit the clearinghouse and blog regularly, as they will share new material and articles showcasing the Academy’s broader public policy perspective.
Academy Kicking off ‘ERISA at 50’ Series With May Webinar
With the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) marking its 50th anniversary this year, the Academy will kick off its “Looking Back, Moving Forward: ERISA at 50” series with a May webinar exploring ERISA’s history. Speakers will discuss the landmark law’s framework, share “present-at-creation” stories and historical insights, and give an overview of its subsequent evolution.
The panel will feature J. Mark Iwry, nonresident senior fellow of Economic Studies at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center and a former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Retirement and Health Policy in the U.S. Department of the Treasury; Lloyd Katz, vice chairperson of the Academy Pension Committee; and James Wooten, professor and vice dean for research and faculty development at the University at Buffalo School of Law. Senior Pension Fellow Linda K. Stone will moderate. The webinar is set for May 14—register today.
Issue briefs, June symposium—The series will include a number of issue briefs related to ERISA from both the retirement and health practice areas, an in-person June stakeholder symposium in Washington, D.C., and additional webinars that will further explore the current and future opportunities for ERISA and retirement security. More information on these events will be available soon and can be found on the Academy webpage Looking Back, Moving Forward: ERISA at 50.
Academy Matching Contributions to TAF’s Modeling the Future Challenge
In addition to its annual support of The Actuarial Foundation (TAF), the Academy is matching donations to TAF’s Modeling the Future Challenge (MTFC) for up to a total of $10,000 this year. The MTFC is a real-world competition for high school students, combining math modeling, data analysis, and risk management into a challenge in which students learn how and why the most pressing public policy issues require the sound application of actuarial principles. Read more about the program, and the opportunity to donate, on the Academy’s MTFC webpage.
Academy Volunteers—Take Action on COI/CE Now; Deadline April 8
Every year, Academy volunteers must acknowledge the Academy’s Conflict of Interest (COI) Policy and attest to their compliance with continuing education (CE) requirements. Interested parties must complete the COI acknowledgment. If we don’t receive your submission by Monday, April 8, you will be dropped from all Academy volunteer and interested party positions. You may log in to the Academy membership page and follow the appropriate link under “Volunteer Resources.” For more information, visit the Professional Objectivity at the Academy webpage. Questions? Please contact the Academy at COI@actuary.org.
April 18 Professionalism Webinar to Focus on Self-Regulation
Join Actuarial Standards Board (ASB) Chairperson Kevin Dyke and Vice Chairpersons Laura Hanson and Dave Neve for Self-Regulation and the ASOPs: Your Professionalism Toolbox, which will focus on the tools available to actuaries to help them meet their professionalism responsibilities. The speakers will also look at changes proposed in the exposure drafts of Actuarial Standards of Practice (ASOPs) No. 12 and 7, for which comments are due May 1 and June 1, respectively. The webinar will be held on April 18—register today.
Health Webinar Examines Medicaid Issues
Tuesday’s health webinar, Continuous Medicaid Unwinding: What’s Next for the Health Care Markets in 2024?, featured a discussion on health insurance markets a year after the COVID-19 public health emergency expired, the unwinding of continuous coverage requirements, and the projected effects on health coverage for the Medicaid population. Slides and a recording will be available as a complimentary member benefit.
CLRS Extends Call for Presentations to April 15
The Casualty Loss Reserve Seminar (CLRS) extended its call-for-presentations deadline to April 15. Sponsored jointly by the Academy and the Casualty Actuarial Society, the CLRS will be held Sept. 9–11 in San Francisco. For a list of potential topics and to submit, visit the CLRS presentations page.
Engage the Next Generation of Actuaries—Order ‘The Magic School Bus’
The Magic School Bus Takes a Risk, a custom-designed book for the Academy, is back in stock. The book aims to support math education in schools and the diversity of the actuarial profession, and to show students how math can take them on amazing journeys. Order today.
In the News
An InsuranceNewsNet article spotlights this week’s Academy webinar on the unwinding of pandemic-related Medicaid continuous coverage.
Health Plan Weekly cited the Academy’s February comment letter to the Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration, responding to a proposed rule on the definition of “employer” in association health plans.
A Motley Fool explainer article about FICA taxes used Academy analysis to illustrate how potential changes in the taxes could impact Social Security’s financial condition.
April 25 [Webinar; Academy volunteers and interested parties] Onboarding Volunteer Webinar for Committee Members (email the Academy for more information)
Visit the Events Calendar for a complete listing of Academy events, including links to post-webinar slides and recordings.
Coming Soon—Academy ‘Hill Visits’
Coming April 18–19: “Hill Visits,” on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., in which Academy volunteers and staff will meet with federal policymakers on health, casualty, and risk management & financial reporting issues.
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