Description: With improved global mortality confirmed, the question becomes: What adjustments do actuaries need to make? This article answers that and other questions related to mortality improvements.

Description: There are growing concerns that the Asian bird flu virus will evolve into a form that can be transmitted from human to human, thus unleashing a new global flu pandemic. This article uses the Spanish flu epidemic and the German life insurance portfolio to analyze the additional claims expenditure due to a pandemic.

Description: This article examines the dynamic environment of the health care system in the United States and the challenges facing the health actuary.

Description: The Society is taking a hard look at its members’ needs and our future as a profession. Two recent studies have focused attention on the building of our future: Report of the Task Force on the Future of the Actuary and Report of the Task Force on Strengthening the Profession. Both reports discuss the importance of our profession in health care matters. But, neither report is designed to address the practical issues involved with building toward our future in health care.

Description: The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 established the nationwide expansion of a Long–Term-Care Partnership program into which any state can choose to participate. This article describes that program and what it means for a person insured under a qualifying long-term-care insurance policy.

Description: The author chronicles the history of the actuarial profession and actuarial organizations around the world and discusses how globalization affects the actuarial profession today.

Description: Editorial on being healthy and living to 100.

Description: An article that addresses the question: Do actuaries, the experts in future cost analysis, have a public responsibility to independently study the adequacy and costs of health care proposals?

Description: This article discusses the changes to the Social Security System that were enacted at mid-year 1972 in Public Law 92-336. Among the changes are the so-called 'automatic' provisions,' under which Social Security benefits are periodically increased in step with the Consumer Price Index, and the earnings base is concurrently increased in step with average earnings levels.

Description: The purpose of this delightful and stimulating book is the identification of new products for the marketplace. Anyone interested in predicting the future should read it. The book surveys the batting average of futurists, which IS amazingly low. About 20 years ago, Herman Kahn predicted 100 changes that would occur by the end of the century.