Description: Decentralized insurance alternatives is a rapidly expanding sector of Decentralized Finance (DeFi), an emerging and growing financial ecosystem powered by blockchain technologies. The purpose of this report is to review and discuss the business models and operating designs of decentralized insurance alternatives, which may have significant implications for traditional insurance businesses, as well as the actuarial profession.

Description: Session 9B: Actuaries and Technology: Perspectives on Actuarial Workflow Automation The life insurance industry has experienced unprecedented growth in modernization efforts, with special attention paid to automating actuarial workflows. Companies are creating processes that are more scalable and maintainable, helping actuaries meet strict deadlines and deliver meaningful information to stakeholders. Discuss practical examples of automation, potential compositions of the modern actuarial toolkit, and different ways actuaries and technology teams interact during implementation and production states. Examine how automation can help actuarial teams shift from a quarterly to a monthly valuation process by overcoming challenges in traditional actuarial processes-long run times, the need for highly specialized legacy software skills, and inadequate control. Shifting to a monthly schedule can increase alignment on company objectives, deepen insurers' understanding of their business, and improve strategic decision-making. Leave with new ways of thinking about technology, from day-to-day best practices to full-scale actuarial transformation. By attending the session, you will: - Explain and understand the benefits of automating actuarial workflows with the purpose of operating on a monthly, rather than quarterly basis. - Describe the categories and purposes of several kinds of automation and supporting tools that might be used to accomplish this. - Understand different actuarial IT operating models and consider the application of such strategies at your organization. - Identify best practices for implementing automation based on the presented case studies.

Description: Health Insurers commonly face challenges regarding data including: Limited knowledge of how to handle large datasets Lack of a common language to discuss data challenge Limited understanding of how to use data and analytics to inform and facilitate decision-making We are seeing a turn in the market to use data and analytics to cultivate an insights-driven culture. But we are noticing a disconnect between the actuaries that are able to glean these insights and the new technologies required to handle the amount of data available to them. During this session you will look at moving from MS Excel to more advanced data handling and modeling tools (e.g., Alteryx), visualization tools (e.g., Power BI & Tableau) and expanding utilization of these tools and analytics. By attending this session, you will: • Understand data and analytics (D&A) concepts, methods, and fundamentals to help drive value. • Gain an appreciation for data privacy, protection protocols, and related ethical considerations when working with data. • Be able to identify of how to use data and analytics to inform and facilitate decision-making.

Description: On November 30, 2021, the SOA Research Institute assembled an industry expert panel to discuss current issues in actuarial technology. Each participant who volunteered to be part of the discussion was selected because of their management-level responsibilities for the application of technology in an actuarial context. The group was diverse in terms of employment, including company actuaries from life, health, and property/casualty backgrounds, as well as consultants from various kinds of firms.

Description: Artificial intelligence (“AI”) adoption in the insurance industry is increasing. One known risk as adoption of AI increases is the potential for unfair bias. Central to understanding where and how unfair bias may occur in AI systems is defining what unfair bias means and what constitutes fairness.

Description: Level funded products often target the small group market (2-50) and can result in many manual and tedious processes for underwriting to perform risk assessment. Learn how a carrier used technology to help automate risk assessment without the need for paper medical questionnaires, and exposed a risk engine for broker quoting to enable near real-time of pricing for risk-based products. The approach reduced labor and allowed underwriting to focus solely on fallout cases while also improving pricing consistency. Discuss broader trends in the health market for risk assessment, including new machine learning cost predictions that can be used for automation and better predictions of future costs. Discussion topics will include underwriting guidelines, business rules, risk scores, and machine learning. By attending this session, you will have a better idea of new trends in risk assessment for small groups where no claims experience is available. And, better understand business rules that are common in underwriting for flags for review as well as how risk scores and machine learning can be used during the underwriting process.

Description: As technology continues to improve, the actuarial profession is challenged by the tremendous potential benefits of new technology and the concurrent creation of new risks that accompany it. Technology should enable good work products that meet strict deadlines, deliver meaningful information to regulators and shareholders, and inform management teams about opportunities to develop our businesses. Answering questions about what technology we might use and how it can aid in making the best investment in our operations is key to making value proposition arguments to support the adoption of new technology in the workplace. Learn practical examples of automation as it's applied in actuarial practice, a potential composition of the actuarial toolkit and the business of managing the use of automation. Advance the state of your workplace art through several angles of this topic as: - Categories and purposes of several kinds of automation and supporting tools that might be used in actuarial practice - How management messaging and culture affects the way automation tools are used and how technical risks are managed - Implementing automation based on the presented case studies

Description: This session series is sponsored by Zelis Claim analytics produces valuable insights about provider cost, quality, and referral patterns. Provider networks can be created around high-value providers to improve clinical outcomes while lowering the cost of care. Programs to improve provider performance and/or incentivize members to choose high-value providers exist, but how do you bring all of this together to achieve desired outcomes? Join us to learn how to leverage provider level analytics to build and optimize a network with high-value providers at the center. Analyze the network for competitiveness and adequacy and demonstrate progress toward network cost saving goals to key stakeholders by modeling claim data for a member population. Finally, ensure the success of your network through an incentive program that shifts utilization to those high performing providers. By attending this session, you will be able to: - Build a realistic provider network with high-value providers at the center. - Evaluate the overall financial impact of network build and optimization efforts. - Learn about an innovative member incentive program.

Description: View the Avoiding Unfair Bias in Insurance Applications of AI Models

Description: On August 29, 2022, the SOA Research Institute assembled an industry expert panel to discuss current issues in actuarial technology. This was the third time such a panel was assembled, and most panelists had participated in the previous discussions. Each participant volunteering for being part of the discussion was selected because of their management-level responsibilities for the application of technology in an actuarial context. The group was diverse in terms of employment, including company actuaries from life, health, and property/casualty backgrounds, as well as consultants from various kinds of firms. This panel included participants from outside the U.S. as well.