Description: The Aging and Retirement Strategic Research Program is pleased to make available a report describing the results of analysis into how the supply of neurology specialists for diagnosis and care of dementia relates to historical LTCI cognitive claims.

Description: This report is targeted to actuaries that are interested in identifying the adverse human health outcomes resulting from anthropogenic climate change. This is accomplished by providing a detailed framework to evaluate the impact of extreme heat on human health and identify the role that anthropogenic climate change has on extreme heat events. Although this document is designed around extreme heat, the concepts can be expanded to other climate-related events. As the primary focus of actuarial research is to promote human health and minimize the preventable economic burden, this document also provides recommendations to mitigate against excess heat related illness (HRI) due to extreme heat.

Description: This study of socioeconomic inequalities in mortality builds on a previous report in which we identified a large and growing gradient in life expectancy between 1982 and 2019 across U.S. counties classified into 10 socioeconomically homogeneous categories. In this report, we seek to identify the particular causes of death contributing to the growing disadvantage in mortality between populations in the least and most affluent deciles as previously defined.

Description: The SOA Research Institute engaged Milliman to perform a study examining life insurer practices on accelerated underwriting and how COVID-19 has impacted them. This effort included a separate outreach to actuaries working for twelve different state insurance departments. At the time of this report, three responses to our regulatory survey had been received. Therefore, the results of the three-question survey are discussed in broad terms, rather than using numerical measurements.

Description: In this report, we consider high-level results from provisional mortality data released from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for 2021, including looking at changes by sex and age group.

Description: Examines the application of stochastic modeling techniques to non-market risks facing the life insurance industry. The focus is the modeling and quantification of mortality and lapse risks with consideration for the impact reinsurance has on these risks. To mitigate the impact of financial risks, the research assumes a 20–year term life insurance product.

Description: The purpose of this project was to create a tool that would allow actuaries to derive an understanding of the evidence for medical technologies that are provided through health plans.

Description: This study builds on the prior studies, Measures of Retirement Benefit Adequacy and Improving Retirement Outcomes: Timing, Phasing, and Benefit Claiming, with a specific focus on how longevity impacts household financial needs in retirement and which strategies can best address these financial strains. A major conclusion from this research is that the risk of living long should be more carefully incorporated in household retirement planning.

Description: As carriers have learned over the last two decades, Long-Term Care insurance (LTCi) is a risky business. The intent of this paper is to illustrate how these risks can be better understood through modeling the liabilities using a Monte Carlo simulation approach.

Description: The Pension Section is pleased to make available the results of a two-part research effort exploring embedded options in pension plans. The Part I report includes a catalogue of embedded options in pension plans and the results of a related survey of pension practitioners. In the Part II report, the authors value three embedded guarantees in cash balance plans using option pricing fair valuation principles.