Description: The Canadian public health care delivery system continues to experience growing needs for increased funding. The total health care delivery system today costs Canadians $98 billion a year or about 9.7 percent of GDP. Of that total cost, 71 percent is paid by the government, which means the taxpayers. While that may pale in comparison to the costs in the U.S., it does make the Canadian system one of the five most expensive health care delivery systems in the world. While today’s cost pressures are of major concern, of even more concern are the costs being projected by many participants in the current health care debate for the period when the Baby Boom makes higher demands on the Canadian health care delivery system. Traditional projection methods, however, do not differentiate between the elderly who survive the year versus those who die as to their use of health care systems. This paper first looks at the impact that this differentiation could have on projected costs. Second, the paper looks at the impact that the wide use of Advance Directives [also called Living Wills] might have on future health care costs and some of the issues surrounding their use. From Actuarial Research Clearing House 2004, Vol. 1.

Description: Chapter 3 analyzes the sources of retirement income security within a system of three interdependent tiers of support: government, employer, and individual. Further, this chapter proposes that these three are part of a larger wealth transfer mechanism including other systems such a s health care and employment insurance. From Economic Security for an Aging Canadian Population, M-RS99-2.

Description: This paper examines the growing trend toward phased retirement in which workers move slowly into full-time leisure, and then the paper suggests alternative pension designs to accommodate the trend. From Retirement Needs Framework, M-RS00-1.

Description: This paper explores a range of public policy issues stemming from proposals to introduce some form of defined contribution system into Social Security in the U. S. and Canada. From In Defense of Pay-as-You-Go Paygo Financing of Social Security, M-RS99-1.

Description: These are the Discussant Comments for the Pensions and Longevity Risk Session 5B of the January 13-15, 2020 Living to 100 Symposium in Orlando, Florida.

Description: Full version of Small Talk Newsletter, April 2000, Issue No. 15.

Description: In the past few years, SoA members and leaders have raised questions about future needs for actuarial skills, globalization of markets, and the appropriate focus of the present education system in preparing actuaries for their professional futures. As a consequence of these questions, the SoA Board of Governors set aside a major portion of its January 1994 meeting to discuss the education of actuaries, with primary consideration being given to a longer horizon than the immediate future. Chris Daykin, representing the Institute of Actuaries, reported that the Institute was incorporating fundamental changes to its basic Education and Examination [E&E] system. These changes were aimed at focusing more on fundamental principles and away from details of practice.

Description: This session discusses two recent SOA research initiatives called FARM I and FARM II. From Record of Society of Actuaries, Vol. 30, No. 3.

Description: A Message from the President-Elect...Think NAAJ by Rob Brown from The Stepping Stone Newsletter, March 2000, Issue No. 3.

Description: Mortality rates affect many facets of an actuary’s work. The ability to collect more detailed data and the possibilities presented by more advanced analytical tools influenced the Society of Actuaries to embark on this two-phased project examining the factors affecting retirement mortality. Phase I of the project includes a comprehensive literature search and summary identifying 12 factors linked to mortality experience at or after age 65- age, alcohol, education, gender, health behaviors, income, marital status, obesity, occupation, race & ethnicity, religion and smoking. In Phase II of the project, existing Society of Actuaries experience studies are reviewed to see which factors could be added to the studies. This phase also considers methods for reflecting the additional factors in the mortality tables. This web page contains links to the Phase I and Phase II reports and supporting documentation.