Description: Update on LTC Section activities and other issues from the perspective of a Society of Actuaries' staff actuary.

Description: The Proposed Accounting Standards Update was exposed on September 29, 2016 with the comment period ending on December 15, 2016.

Description: Highlights from recent research reports focusing on retirement concerns.

Description: Tidbits relate to contingent deferred annuities, wellness benefits in qualified long-term care contracts, and reactivating the active financing exception for insurance companies.

Description: This is a research report that highlights the characteristics of combination plans that serve to reduce the risks to insurers issuing life or annuity products linked to long-term care insurance. Observations are provided to assist in the understanding of the factors that explain the profit change sensitivity results and the natural hedging against major risks that inherently is present within the linked products.

Description: Responds to questions received during the webcast with regards to modeling long term medical trends for valuation purposes. Questions cover testing the model against publicly traded companies, the calculation of growth rate in the model, the income multiplier as the population ages, model relevance to Canada, factoring in of extra disease burdens, exclusion of aging in the model, and the effect of the globalization of health care.

Description: This fact sheet summarizes the results of a survey analyzing retirees’ and pre-retirees’ concerns on retirement. It also reveals how these groups have prepared or are preparing to face risks and offers personal risk management strategies and tips.

Description: The LTC insurance sector faces a crisis of credibility due to recent company failures. Market evidence indicates reduced confidence in the reserve sufficiency of companies with large legacy LTC exposures. Disclosures show the persistence of problematic actuarial and investment return assumptions. Institutional backstops exist but vary by jurisdiction and have elements which can exacerbate rather than ameliorate problems. Fortunately, LTC liabilities accrue over long time periods. An industry supported incentive structure can be conceived that would establish stronger standards and encourage greater reserving in exchange for a more reliable and rational backstop.

Description: Reflections from the past year as chair of the LTC Section Council.

Description: Some seniors may find it challenging to manage frequent doctor visits. Telemedicine can significantly fill in some of these gaps by enabling “virtual” doctor visits. Telemedicine improves access to medical care, reduces the need for transportation, reduces wait times, protects the health of individuals who won’t be exposed to germs of others in a waiting room, and improves access to care from a healthcare professional who may be far away from the patient and more. Implications for telemedicine in charged amounts (in various insurances) are being worked out and continue to evolve.