Description: On May 16th, the Social Security Boards of Trustees sent to the Congress the three annual reports OASDI, HI, and SMI. These reports present cost projections similar to those provided to the Congress last year at the time of enactment of the 1977 Amendments.

Description: The 1977 Amendments to the Social Security Act provided for a one-time National Commission on Social Security with broad mandate to study the OASDI and Medicare programs. The author discusses the substantial proposals put forth by the Commission in its report released in January 1981, which would affect both OASDI and Medicare.

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: Panelists discuss the pros and cons of using a care manager in order to receive either benefits or enhanced benefits in long term care plans. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Vol. 24, No. 2.

Description: Panel discusses the effects of reduced payment levels to many Medicare managed care organizations. From the Record of the Society of Actuaries, Vol. 24, No. 2.

Description: Book Review: Within the System: My Half Century in Social Security by Robert Myers . 'This splendid book' tells of Mr. Myers remarkable public service career and appraises the influence of many American politicians.

Description: Recent testimony on Social Security was given to the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging by David Langer, who defended the current system and strongly opposed recent moves to privatize. This article summarizes Mr. Langer's testimony.

Description: This article is a summary and analysis of the 1977 Annual Reports of the Board of Trustees of the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and Disability Insurance Trust Funds, of the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund, and the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund. The author notes that an excellent introduction to these reports may be obtained by reading the Commentary Prepared to Assist in the Reading and Interpretation of the Reports, prepared by A. Haeworth Robertson, Chief Actuary of the Social Security Administration. Note: A more extensive review of the Reports will appear in the Transactions.

Description: Article from The Actuary, May 1972 – Volume 6, No. 5 that talks about the 1971 White House Conference on Aging. The purposes of the conference were: 1 to develop a national policy on older Americans, 2 to involve older people in helping solve their own problems, and 3 to involve national organizations in the problems of the aging.

Description: This session is about the U. S. Social Security System undergoing a period of critical reappraisal with the costs and future of the system in question, and about how the actuarial profession should be involved in the process.