Description: Answers to questions that have surfaced with regard to recent trends in the use of psychiatric medications, including relative effectiveness compared to prescribing patterns, drivers of prescribing patterns, classification and indications for recently publicized drugs, role of primary care providers, preventive use ofdementia medications, and new developments in the field.

Description: Since health care reform has made accountable care organizations a hot topic, an SOA workgroup is addressing relevant questions, including provider risk under various ACO models, limitations of the Medicare model for motivating change in the health care delivery system, strategic priorities, attribution of members, meaurement, and the roles actuaries can play.

Description: A discussion of how the tax law changes of 2003 might affect the attractiveness of variable annuity business relative to mutual funds and direct investments in dividend paying equities.

Description: Will the Medicare Modernization Act Jump Start Growth in Employer-Sponsored Long- Term Care Insurance? by Allen J. Schmitz, FSA and Scott A. Weltz, FSA from Long-Term Care Newsletter, April 2004, Issue No. 11.

Description: This article is an account of an actuary traveling to the International Congress of Actuaries in Tokyo and the experience and knowledge gained.