Description: This paper discussed providing consumers of medical care with transparent and comparable price and quality information to enable them to make economically optimal decisions.

Description: This article discusses the Own Risk and Solvency Assessment ORSA Guideline that is being developed by the NAIC Group Solvency Issues working group as part of the Solvency Modernization Initatitve SMI. It looks at the purpose of the ORSA, the three sections of the NAIC ORSA and issues with current U.S. ORSA draft.

Description: This study was sponsored by the Society of Actuaries Health Section. This paper explores the relative significance of aging as a determinant of financial cost of health care beyond age 50, with particular attention to the effect for ages 65 and older. The paper presents concepts of aging factors and aging curves, which define relative values between ages for utilization or cost of health care services. General conclusions are drawn from Medicare data that utilization and cost differ by age, but that aging factors vary across services and may be less significant at very old ages. The author then turns to the question of measuring the significance of an aging curve assumption and what accuracy is lost in the simpler alternative of a single value across an age range.

Description: A discussion of the Open Transaction Doctrine and how it was applied to prevent current inclusion of taxable gains resulting from the sale of stock acquired in a demutualization.

Description: In March 2010, Congress codified the judicial economic substance doctrine in an effort to raise revenue as part of the health care reform legislation.1 The law provides for strict liability penalties of 20 percent for understated taxes and refund claims that result from transactions that lack economic substance. In July 2011, the commissioner of the Large Businessand International Division LB&I of the IRS evidently recognized this state of uncertainty and issued very helpful guidance to all LB&I examiners to fill the void on guidance for economic substance..

Description: This is a series of reports on topics including: 1. Recent legislative developments, 2. Report on Joint Actuarial Committee Meeting, and 3. Position statement by Robert J. Myers. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries, Vol 22, Pt. 2, No. 63.

Description: The purpose of this paper is to examine the status of pensions today in this country, with a few backward glances on how we got here and a little contemplation of whither we may go perhaps, willy-nilly. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1949, Vol. 1, No. 1.

Description: This section presents and summarizes insurance-related legal cases of 1953 including: 1. GROUP ANNUITY CONTRACTPERPETUAL OBLIGATION: Freeport Sulphur Company v. Aetna Life Insurance Company, 2. SERVICE OF PROCESSUNAUTHORIZED INSURER: Parmalee v. Iowa State Traveling Men's Association, 3. ORAL PLEDGE OR ASSIGNMENTCREDITOR'S RIGHT: Commercial National Bank v. Chapman, 4. DOUBLE INDEMNITYMILITARY EXCLUSION: Weissman v. Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, 5. LIQUIDATION OF MUTUAL COMPANYJURISDICTION OF INSURANCE COMMISSlONER: Allyn v. Hull, 6. AVIATION EXCLUSIONPARACHUTE JUMP: Smith v. Mutual Benefit Health and Accident Association, 7. SETTLEMENT OPTIONTESTAMENTARY DISPOSITION: Hall v. Mutual Life Insurance Company, 8. PURCHASE OF HOME OFFICE PROPERTYINSURANCE SUPERINTENDENT'S APPROVAL: Guardian Life Insurance Company vs. Bohlinger, 9. LOAN VALUE: DISABILITY AND DOUBLE INDEMNITY RESERVES: Chastang v. Mutual Life Insurance Company, 10. CONVERSION OF GROUP INSURANCESUICIDE: Lineberry v. Security Life and Trust Company, 11. DOUBLE INDEMNITYMILITARY EXCLUSION: Western Reserve Life Insurance Company vs. Meadows

Description: This discussion is about the actuarial considerations that should surround proposals in Congress for reinsurance of health plans. From Transactions of Society of Actuaries 1954, Vol. 6, No. 14.

Description: Author discusses issues related to federal regulation of insurance.