Description: This article describes the pre-HIPAA small group market and identify some of the key changes to this market resulting from HIPAA particularly guaranteed issue and renewal and restriction of pre-existing conditions and.

Description: The author reviews and provides analysis of a report prepared by Douglas H. Carruthers, Q.C., as special legal counsel, to review the relationship between insurers and the public and in particular, the role of insurance intermediaries in the province of Ontario. The report was completed in 1975 and made public in 1976, and effectively recommends a new regulatory framework. The author of this article analyses and critiques the various proposals in the report.

Description: This article discusses new developments on the regulatory front. Under the new agreement, insurance company management and boards will be required to issue a statement that reflects their judgment about the firm’s viability, including its capital adequacy. The required opinion will have five elements - identifying risks, measuring risks, a risk feedback loop, a risk tolerance statement, and a risk policy.

Description: On Dec. 29, 1973 President Nixon signed into law the Health Maintenance Organization Act of 1973, which authorizes $375 million to be used by the DHEW to stimulate the establishment and development of HMO's over the next five years. This article describes the status of the regulations and the development of additional HMO's.

Description: Manufacturers Life on January 1, 1981 unilaterally raised the death benefits on its non-participating permanent life policies issued before 1965 in North America. This article describes why and how this process was accomplished.

Description: This is the first of two articles discussing the model laws governing minimum reserves and non-forfeiture values that the NAIC adopted in December 1980. The author, Chairman of the NAIC Technical Task Force on Valuation and Nonforfeiture Value Regulation, in this first article describes the objectives of the revision, which include updating assumptions, increasing flexibility, and improving the ability to deal with new types of products, the cooperative effort entailed, the actuary’s role and responsibilities in doing business under the new law, and the financial impact.

Description: A regulator's perspective on the changing insurance and financial services industry, including changes in the state regulatory environment driven by the regulators themselves, as well as potential changes in the competitive environment prompted by the Financial Services Modernization Act.

Description: Discusses features and actuarial aspects of the Truth in Lending Act.

Description: The Actuary Vol. 22 , No. 7. This articles explores the dangers posed by many guaranteed-return life insurance and annuity products.

Description: Views of several actuarial participants in this lawsuit, regarding new buyer disclosure requirements, were printed in our May Issue. Mr. Murphy spoke for the plaintiffs, whose strongest objection to the disputed Wisconsin Regulation was its omission of the Equivalent Level Annual Dividend from the preliminary policy summary.