Cabe Chadick, FSA, MAAA, of our Dallas office, served as the Interim Chief Actuary for the California Department of Managed Health Care from March through June 2012. In that role, Cabe helped the Department with policy issues resulting from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, including health insurance rate reviews, exchange development, as well as reinsurance and risk adjustment.
California has a unique two-agency insurance/health plan oversight system with the Department of Managed Health Care overseeing HMOs and the Department of Insurance overseeing traditional insurers. The Chief Actuary must liaison with the CA DOI, consumer groups, CA health plans, as well as new federal rate review authorities. The Department of Managed Health Care is growing its actuarial staff, and Cabe enjoyed his contribution to that effort as well.
David Dillon, FSA, MAAA, of our Dallas office, spoke on "Premium Deficiency Reserves and Other Financial Reporting Issues for Dental Insurers" at the Delta Dental 2012 Underwriting, Actuarial, and CFO Conference which was held in New Orleans on April 30 - May 2.
Jill Humes, FSA, MAAA, and Terry Long, FSA, MAAA, of our Kansas City office, attended the SOA's 2012 Life & Annuity Symposium which was held in Los Angeles on May 21 & 22. Terry was the Program Committee Chair for the event, a presenter for Session 69 - The Challenge of Low Interest Rates, and a moderator in the Closing General Session - The International Regulatory Landscape. Jill was a facilitator for Session 048 BG - Hot Topics for the Smaller Insurance Companies.
Dave Dillon, FSA, MAAA, and Mike Mayberry, FSA, MAAA, of our Dallas office, attended and spoke at the Society of Financial Examiners 2012 Career Development Seminar which was held in Dallas on July 29 - August 1.
Dave Dillon spoke on "Clear as Actuarial Mud - Contract Reserve Strengthening vs. Premium Deficiency Reserves vs. Asset Adequacy Analysis". This included a discussion on how SSAP 54 defines reserves that must be established for an A&H contract including Premium Deficiency Reserves. The AOMR requires that reserves are adequate in light of company assets. Similarities between these actuarial requirements can cause much confusion. The purpose and scope of these actuarial requirements were clarified.
Mike Mayberry spoke on "Why Life Companies use Captives". Attendees learned why life insurance companies use captive subsidiaries to reinsure excess reserves. Mike provided background and insight on reserving under AG38 and why it may be appropriate to finance excess reserves created by the AG38 calculation using a captive insurer.
Lewis & Ellis' health actuaries consult with both insurance companies and insurance departments. Recently, Tom Handley, FSA, MAAA, of our Kansas City office, provided his expertise on health care and was quoted in The Star's Editorial - Moving beyond the individual mandate, which appeared in The Kansas City Star on Sunday, March 18, 2012.
Terry Long, FSA, gave a presentation on "Valuation, Products and Product Management in a Low Interest Rate Environment" at the Chicago Actuarial Association's Annual March Workshops Meeting on March 13, 2012. This presentation covers sources of valuation and nonforfeiture interest rates, strategies for managing in force blocks of business, and strategies for managing new business.
Roger Annin, FSA, FIA, MAAA, of our London & Kansas City offices, spoke on "Valuation Standards" at the International Life Settlements Conference 2012 sponsored by Deal Flow Media and held in London on May 1 & 2.
Roger Annin, FSA, FIA, MAAA, of our London & Kansas City offices, was invited to speak on "How to Maximize Portfolio Value" at the Institutional Life Markets Association (ILMA) which was held in London on Monday, April 30, 2012. Mr. Annin brought an actuarial perspective to many of the issues affecting established and new funds in the longevity market.
Roger Annin, FSA, FIA, MAAA, of our London & Kansas City offices, presented statistical information for actual versus expected claims experience for a major underwriter at the LEPr Conference in New York City on Wednesday, March 14th.
Lewis & Ellis has ranked 8th in the A.M. Best ranking of "Top Actuarial Firms by NPW for 2010" that has been published in the January 2012 issue of Best's Review magazine (pages 45,46). This ranking focuses on independent actuaries that provide an annual statutory actuarial opinion regarding an insurer's policy and claim reserves.
Scott Gibson, FSA, MAAA, of our Dallas office, was a panelist for the Investor's Roundtable, Life Settlements & Longevity Products, at the 11th Insurance Linked Securities Summit in the Cayman Islands in February.
Lewis & Ellis participated in the Society of Actuaries 2011 Annual Meeting & Exhibit held October 16-19, 2011 in Chicago. L&E attendees were Roger Annin, Karen Elsom, Leon Langlitz (presenter), Terry Long, Scott Morrow, Tony Proulx and Brian Rankin. Leon Langlitz, FSA, MAAA, of our Kansas City office, presented at Session 31 - WRM Workshop for Small Companies with Max Rudolph of Rudolph Financial Consulting, LLC.
L&E was an exhibitor and our door prize was a $150 gift certificate to Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue of Kansas City. Jack Stack has been a premier BBQ restaurant in Kansas City for 50 years. The lucky winner was Robert Gandjean of SCOR Global Life Americas in New York City. Congratulations Robert and enjoy the flavor of Kansas City. For everyone else not fortunate enough to win, L&E offered a free L&E sticky notepad.
Our thanks to everyone who visited our booth.
Leon Langlitz, FSA, MAAA, of our Kansas City office, gave an Actuarial Update at the National Alliance of Life Companies (NALC) 2011 Fall Conference in Park City, Utah, in September 2011.
Roger Annin, FSA, FIA, MAAA, of our London & Kansas City offices, and Scott Gibson, FSA, MAAA, of our Dallas office, were panelists at The Life Settlements Conference 2011 in Las Vegas sponsored by Deal Flow Media in September 2011.
Roger was a panelist for the "Life Expectancies: How Are Fund Managers Analyzing Mortality Estimates?" session. Fund managers increasingly are putting into place strategies to analyze life expectancies based on mortality experience with their own portfolios. Is this making the bickering between the two factions of life expectancy underwriters less relevant to the market? Are life expectancies more accurate in the three years since life expectancies were extended or is it too early to tell?
Scott was a panelist for the "Texas: Why is the Lone Star State Such a Magnet for Alleged Life Settlement Frauds?" session. The Texas Legislature passed a law this year giving insurance regulators more tools to stop fraud, but they failed to make investments in life settlements a security. From the Retirement Value and National Life Settlements receiverships to the Life Partners' SEC investigation, this panel discussed why Texas is at the forefront for a slew of regulatory actions.
Roger Annin, FSA, FIA, MAAA, of our London & Kansas City offices, spoke on "Many Facets of Due Diligence" at the LISA 2011 Compliance Conference in Atlanta in October 2011. Roger discussed financial due diligence as it relates to portfolio and policy acquisitions.
Terry Long, FSA, MAAA, of our Kansas City office, John Palmer of First Consulting and Administration, and Ralph Spaulding of Hinman Straub P.C. were part of a panel discussion on "Product Innovation - Creating and Managing Innovative Product Development" for Session 21 - Fostering an Innovative Environment at the Association of Insurance Compliance Professionals (AICP) Annual Conference in Orlando in September 2011.
Tom Handley, FSA, gave a presentation on "ACOs/COOPs: An Actuarial Analysis and Cost Considerations" at the AAMSE ACO/COOP Summit on July 20, 2011. This presentation reviews actuarial issues and important cost considerations for ACOs and COOPs.
Tom Handley, FSA, MAAA, of our Kansas City office, gave a presentation on Historical Trends in Health Care Costs - 1960 to Present for Session 17 PD - Current Medical Trend Drivers at the SOA 2011 Health Meeting in Boston on June 14, 2011. He was quoted in the "SOA Speakers Bring the Numbers" article that appeared in the Life & Health National Underwriter on June 14, 2011.
Tom's presentation examined historical changes in costs and the financing of health care from 1960 to the present plus a comparison of US health care costs to other industrialized countries with an identification of the potential causes of the higher US costs.
Lewis & Ellis' health actuaries consult with both insurance companies and insurance departments. Thus we're active both in developing products and in reviewing rate filings. Recently we assisted Iowa with rate reviews and were mentioned in the article "Insurance official cuts back Wellmark rate hike" that appeared in The Des Moines Register on January 29, 2011.
Leon Langlitz, FSA, moderated Session 83 Buzz Group: Current Topics of Interest to Smaller Insurance Companies at the SOA 2010 Annual Meeting & Exhibit on October 19, 2010. A number of topics were offered for discussion with the four which received the most interest to the attendees discussed in small, round table conversations. This is a summary of those discussions and the subsequent reporting of each of those discussions to all of the attendees.
We are pleased to announce that David A. Palmer, Certified Financial Examiner, has joined L&E to establish our examination unit. In conjunction with this new practice area, L&E is opening a new office in Baltimore, Maryland. Previously, David served as Chief Examiner for the Maryland Insurance Administration (MIA), and also served in the past as Chief Financial Manager for the District of Columbia Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking.
David has over twenty years of experience in various jurisdictions in managing both financial examinations and the financial analysis function for both Property & Casualty and Life & Health companies. David has been active for many years in the Society of Financial Examiners and is currently serving as the Vice President of State Chapters on the Executive Committee. He has also been active in the proceedings of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and actively participated in numerous working groups and task forces.
Leon Langlitz, FSA, gave a presentation on "What Happened? Actuaries and Their Love Affair with Risk" to the 2010 Kansas Insurance Institute on September 2, 2010. This presentation deals with Life Reserves/Risk-Focused Approach.
Roger Annin, FSA, FIA, MAAA, Tim DeMars, FSA, FIA, MAAA, and Scott Morrow, FSA, FIA, MAAA, of our London & Kansas City offices, were appointed to the newly formed American Academy of Actuaries' Life Settlements Investment Work Group.
In a proactive move, Scott Gibson, FSA, MAAA, and Jackie Lee, FSA, MAAA, of our Dallas office, created a tool to help you better understand and make optimal use of the recently released Life Insurance Settlement Association's (LISA) common life expectancy (LE) tables with the creation of the "LE Mortality Calculator"; whereby they have graciously donated this tool to LISA.
Don't miss your opportunity to get this excellent industry tool! LISA is making this calculator available to members and non-members alike. The Calculator is free for members and $500 for non-members. To receive your copy of the calculator, simply send your request to support@lisassociation.org.
This easy to use calculator has a number of benefits, including:
Further details are included in insurancenewsnet.com's LISA Releases Life Expectancy (LE) Calculator article.
Steve Bryson, FSA, gave a presentation on TMRS Funding: A Long-term Perspective to the Texas Municipal League on March 26, 2010. This presentation deals with setting funding policy for public retirement systems.