Description: This 1980 session is about effect of government actions and consumerism on product design and pricing. Areas addressed: 1. What have been the most important regulatory and consumerist actions in the past decade as related to products, their marketing and the overall operation of a life insurance company? 2. What will be the most important actions in these arenas in the next decade? 3. What specific impact have these regulatory and consumer actions had on companies in the past decade and will they have in the coming decade? 4. What true value has accrued to consumers and the public because of these actions, and what impact will they have in the next decade? 5. Is there an acceptable relationship between the value of these benefits and the cost to the companies of providing them?

Description: This 1978 panel discussed risk classification systems for a variety of products. Topics covered included: 1. regulatory and social policy encroachment on risk classification systems 2. possible changes in underwriting/marketing strategy because of changed regulatory requirements 3. use of the social imperative via regulation or legislation to mandate availability of coverage to high risk classifications 4. implied use of the risk classification system to provide incentives to control socially undesirable behavior 5. potential use of private mass coverage to minimize the impact on risk classification systems for coverages mandated by law or social policy 6. the ultimate in risk classification systems: self-insurance