Description: The Phase 3 tax is the description given to the federal income tax imputable to amounts withdrawn from the Policyholders Surplus Account maintained under the federal income tax law. This article discusses certain facets of the federal income Phase 3 tax as it relates to these withdrawals. Still significant for a large health insurer that has been in existence since before 1984 should health care become nationalized.

Description: Under non-Aristotelian logic, there are multiple values, or shades of gray. Indeed, there may even be unexpected results from logical combinations, like “both” and “neither.” This article discusses how this insight should be applied to the current debate between formula-driven reserves with limited assumption flexibility and the reserve principles approach. For reserve standards, we do need both actuarial judgment grounded in reserving principles and restrictive formula methods or safe harbors.

Description: The SOA is shining a spotlight on its research activities as it migrates into the areas of public policy and other relevant topics.

Description: The American Academy of Actuaries is engaged in several projects that proactively examine the future status of the Medicare Program. This session presents the findings that have resulted from these efforts. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Vol. 24, No. 2.

Description: The article endorses broader use of lifetime income in DC plans. It explains why the use of DB plans will continue to decline. The article points out that plans sponsors will not willingly take on additional ERISA fiduciary exposure. The article endorses three regulatory reforms that would increase the use of lifetime income in DC plans. 1. A robust annuity issuer safe harbor that would free employers from fiduciary exposure for putting an annuity provider on the DC platform. 2. A requirement that a plan offer a lifetime income option to qualify for the 404(c) safe harbor. 3. A revision to 404(c) to allow plan sponsors to allocate part or all of the employer match to lifetime income.

Description: Open meeting of the Society's Health Benefit Systems Practice Advancement Committee and Health Section Council, as well as the American Academy of Actuaries' Health Practice Council. The three committees review ongoing projects in the Health Practice area. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Vol. 24, No. 2.

Description: This article describes the SOA's Risk Adjustment Research project, in the context of health care reform, and the preliminary data analysis that has been completed by the Research Task Force.

Description: A discussion of the need to connect the interrelated requirements of reserve requirements, capital requirements, risk management, IASB requirements and so forth.

Description: In Canada, the actuarial considerations involved in developing financial reporting and disclosure principles have for some years been under active study by the Canadian Institute of Actuaries CIA and others, with a goal of moving toward one system of financial reporting for all users. The author discusses current proposals starting with a 1974 report released by the CIA, and the work of an Advisory Committee with members from the actuarial and accounting professions, industry, and Provincial Insurance Departments, appointed by the Federal Superintendent of Insurance, which completed its work in the form of a written report.

Description: Discussion of some of the debated aspects of the new health care law from an actuarial principles perspective.