Description: This article discusses steps to follow to ensure a more rational and productive approach to data analysis.

Description: Feature article discussing the difficult situation of actuarial forecasting with little or no date.

Description: A new health insurance pricing model takes external market prices into account, as well as regulatory rate restrictions and other traditional pricing factors. Rather than being assumed at the outset, lapse rates emerge from the model, along with assessment spiral & loss ratio projections. Under the model optimal pricing strategy depends on whether the class being rated has a healthier than average mix of risks.

Description: This article briefly describes the pandemic-related initiatives the SOA undertook in 2006. From Health Watch Newsletter, May 2006, Issue No. 52.

Description: Created by the PPACA, states can establish a Basic Health Program to cover low income individuals. This is specifically designed to help these individuals as their eligibility for various health care coverage options changes throughout time. This article discusses how the Basic Health Program is funded.

Description: This article is the first of a two-part series on international developments. It discusses the actuarial focus on application of risk expertise to insurance and pensions vs. the newly developing focus on enterprise risk management.

Description: Understanding U.S. defined-benefit plan annual funding notice definitions and what they are meant to represent is a key to understanding how “healthy” or “unhealthy” a pension plan is. This article offers a description of several types of funded status measurements and their applications under the rules mandated by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service to fund private employer-sponsored defined-benefit pension plans.

Description: Epilogue to ACA@5 publication

Description: This is an abstract of presentation from 39th Actuarial Research Conference, 8/5-7/2004, University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. In this talk, we examine the modeling of insurance losses resulting from natural catastrophes, particularly losses to residential and commercial structures as a result of earthquakes. The model proposed can also be used for other types of natural catastrophes such as floods and hurricanes.

Description: In an effort to build a bridge between epidemiological and actuarial modeling, this paper analyzes possible financial arrangements made against expenses resulted from medical treatments given to insured patients. Based on classical compartment models, the first part of this paper designs insurance policies for susceptible participants facing the risk of infection and formulates the financial obligations of both parties using actuarial methodology. For practical purposes, the second part employs a variety of numerical methods for calculating premiums and reserves. The last part illustrates the methods by designing insurance products for the Great Plague in Eyam and the SARS Epidemic in Hong Kong.