Description: After the bid process, desk review, rebate reallocation, an “enjoyable” audit, and open enrollment; the Medicare plan year starts. Throughout the year, organizations find it pertinent to get an accurate picture of their Part D liability as reinsurance, LICS (Low Income Cost-Sharing) subsidy, and risk corridors are accrued. Attendees will learn about the basics of Part D accruals, how future accrual amounts are estimated based on patterns in the data, and how bid assumptions versus actual results impact plan sponsor profitability. We will also discuss financial statement treatment of these items. Real-life examples from bids to outcomes will be provided to enhance the discussion. Ultimately, attendees will come away with a deeper understanding how their bid assumptions play out, and how they can use Part D accruals to plan for future bid development.

Description: This session will cover lessons learned during the course of implementing PBR by the panelists. It will focus on areas that were difficult to interpret, unexpected issues and managing the process. It will focus on potential stumbling blocks from an implementation, pricing and product development standpoint. There will also be an overview of YRT treatment to date and an update on any emerging best practices.

Description: The discount rate is one of the most critical topics in IFRS 17, which may have important repercussion on product profitability. Having a low discount rate may indicate a low profitability of a group of contracts, while a realistic expectation may differ. A similar issue was prevalent especially for U.S. companies when discount rates were set using a market consistent framework. The session is intended to help develop a discount rate framework that aligns with the business practices and address the concerns around the market consistent framework. This session will cover practical implementation considerations to set and apply IFRS 17 discount rates. The panelists will discuss alternative approaches to allow for a level of illiquidity premium for business supported by fixed assets with credit risks. Discussions will also cover other implementation considerations including granularity of setting the discount rate, application to new business, implications on asset and liability modeling, and a planning aspect for a successful implementation of the discount rate setting process. The panelists will share case studies to illustrate different approaches of setting the discount rate and their potential financial impacts. At the conclusion of the session, attendees will be able to: understand key requirements of setting discount rates under IFRS 17; understand how to align the discount rate to the actual business practices; understand implications of the discount rate in actuarial modeling; understand potential impacts on financial results; and develop a realistic plan to set discount rates appropriate to the business practices.

Description: As the Valuation Manual continues to evolve and PBR standards for additional products are drafted and incorporated, it will become increasingly important for companies to understand where the requirements are consistent across products, as well as how they differ. This session will scan the life (VM-20) and annuity (VM-21, VM-22) PBR standards across the Valuation Manual to compare and contrast key requirements. Attendees will understand where common methods and techniques can be used across products and platforms. Attendees will also be better positioned to consider assumption and margin setting, asset and derivative modeling, and model efficiency techniques for all types of principles-based valuations. Additionally, this session will profile specific challenges that can arise when actuaries use models to project PBR reserves at future dates for internal planning, pricing, and projections across life and annuity businesses.

Description: The article provides an introduction to tax accounting for U.S. life insurance companies, with a focus on NAIC statutory accounting concepts. The author discusses permanent and temporary differences, the current tax provision, and deferred tax accounting requirements, including admissibility testing under SSAP No. 101.

Description: The NAIC has adopted revisions on Actuarial Guidelines 43 and C3 Phase II for Variable Annuities ("NAIC VA Reform"), effective January 1, 2020. The panel of presenters will provide background and overview of the Reform, and discuss detailed aspects of the new CTE Amount, Standard Projection and Withdrawal Delay Cohort Method. The panelists will share implementation considerations and the Reform's implications to hedging.

Description: This session will provide an update on international implications of current tax developments affecting the life insurance industry, including: International add-on taxes from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) Base Erosion Anti-Abuse Tax (BEAT) and impacts on offshore reinsurance An overview of the Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income (GILTI) tax Legislative activities impacting company taxation

Description: With the halfway point of the transition period in the rear view mirror, many companies are well underway with their VM-20 implementation and analysis efforts. Beyond attempting to master the new rules of the road, actuaries have discovered new effects of product design and assumption setting. Panelists in this session will discuss their experiences with VM-20 reserves for various products and designs, their applications of actuarial judgement and the areas where even they don’t have all the answers. The audience is encouraged to bring their questions and also to share their insights.

Description: Principle-based reserving requires modeling assets and liabilities across a range of scenarios to assess the sufficiency of assets when determining reserves, a major shift from the current formulaic framework. These changes will require valuation actuaries to evolve their skill set by heightening their focus on creative analysis, gaining deeper understanding of complex projections and clearly communicating drivers of reserve movements to stakeholders in order to influence strategic decision-making. The panelists will discuss the way that they see the role of the valuation actuary changing in response to the change in focus in reserving requirements. They will also discuss successful characteristics along with best practices for understanding and explaining results in the new paradigm. The audience will be given the opportunity to interact through polling and facilitated discussion of their stories, experiences and observations.

Description: Intended for actuaries interested in understanding more about the Medical Loss Ratio and the impact Quality Improving Activities (QIA) and fraud reduction expenses have on the rebate calculation. This session will focus on what expenses qualifies as QIA, examples of programs from major carriers, current regulations and the differences between commercial, and Medicare, and Medicaid requirements.