Description: Letter from reader about the article Responsible Health Care Reform Part 2: Access to Care with a response from one of the article’s authors. From The Actuary, August/Sept 2010 Vol 7 Issue 4

Description: This article discusses the Washington State regulation governing life insurance policy replacements.

Description: A recent list of government publications announces the publication of a volume entitled Actuarial Values I: Valuation of Last Survivor Charitable Remainders-Part B-Two-Life Tables for Untirusts and Pooled Income Funds - Internal Revenue Service Publication 7233 11-71 available from the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C. 20402 for $4.50. The article outlines the actuarial formulas used in determining the tables used by the IRS.

Description: An Early Warning System for Life and Health insurance companies has been developed by an NAIC Committee of state insurance department personnel, with some assistance from an industry advisory committee. The group is known formally as The Life and Health Regulatory Task Force of the A-3 Computer Application Subcommittee. The author discusses and provides an analysis of the specific regulatory tests included in this system.

Description: Almost 65 years ago, the Supreme Court issued its opinion in Helvering v. Le Gierse, addressing when an arrangement should be recognized as involving “insurance” for federal income tax purposes. According to the Court, an “insurance risk” must be present, and for an insurance risk to exist, there must be “risk-shifting and risk distribution.”

Description: On January 19, 2005, the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service the “Service” responded to a life insurance industry request for guidance on the treatment of qualified additional benefits “QABs” under sections 7702 and 7702A of the Internal Revenue Code through the release of Revenue Ruling 2005-6 the “Ruling”.

Description: COLI products continue to be the focus of litigation by the IRS over the deductibility of policy loan interest. This COLI Update consists of two articles concerning COLI cases and their most recent court decisions. The first concerns a District Court’s ruling on insurable interest, and the second provides an analysis of the Sixth Circuit reversal of a trial court decision in a case involving economic substance.

Description: This article discusses the temporary waiver and how it provides only limited relief from the section 401a9 minimum distribution requirements.

Description: This editorial highlights the hot topics happening in the tax industry today.

Description: A discussion of spousal provisions that are governed by federal income tax law, specifically the difference between some state laws and the Defense of Marriage Act DOMA.