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 American Academy of Actuaries will present on current initiatives that impact the U.S. statutory reserving methodology for non-variable annuity contracts. In particular, the development of a principle-based reserving framework on non-variable annuity contracts will be discussed, including framework elements, assumptions, and methodology. The session will provide an update on the status of regulatory discussions and the timeline for future changes to reserves. By the end of the session, attendees will understand what changes are being made to non-variable annuity reserves, details underlying existing proposals, and the anticipated timing of such emerging changes. This session is intended to the meet the needs of actuaries focused on annuity reserve calculations, financial reporting, and valuation.

Description: What do we do now? So many changes in tax and financial reporting are having an impact on smaller insurance companies. What do we need to do and what are our options? Tax and financial reporting specialists discuss what is happening and what they see in the industry.

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 valuation manual is a living document that continues to evolve. As more companies adopt Principle-Based Reserving (PBR) and file PBR Actuarial Reports, regulators have observed gaps and inconsistencies across the industry. As a result, PBR reporting requirements (VM-31) have expanded significantly in 2020 and still continue to evolve. This session will provide attendees with everything they need to fill out their PBR reports for both Life business and Variable Annuity business. We will dig into the new changes effective for 2020 reporting and approved changes for 2021, and compare and contrast the Life and VA requirements to help companies identify areas that can be leveraged between the two. In addition, we will share insights from regulators, consultants, and company actuaries on what to include or exclude in your report.

Description: This interactive panel discussion will cover perspectives on:</p><ul><li>the evolution of AG51 requirements, including practical considerations for implementation</li><li>the general evolution of long-term care insurance regulation</li><li>how both the public and private sector can help invigorate sales of long-term care insurance

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: Near the end of a pension plan's lifespan, after benefit accruals have ceased and the plan has reached fully funded status, a plan sponsor has the option to begin the plan termination process immediately or to maintain the plan for an extended period of time (often referred to as 'hibernation' as an alternative to termination). While immediate termination appeals to some plan sponsors, others choose hibernation for a number of reasons, including paternalism, fiduciary obligations, perceived cost differentials or simple inertia.