Brought on by the adoption of FAS 106, retiree medical valuation work has become a regular part of the pension actuary’s “domain.” There are, of course, many other facets of healthcare benefits consulting where pension actuaries can and should be involved, leveraging their knowledge and analytical skills to find the best solutions for clients. With the ongoing changes in accounting requirements and the advent of Health Care Reform (PPACA 2010), the demand for healthcare actuaries is again on the increase. The speakers at this seminar cover a variety of technical actuarial healthcare topics to help pension actuaries “round-out their toolkit,” including:

Plan Design

• Medical plan designs – HMO, PPO, POS, and “Traditional” indemnity plans;
• New plan design mandates in PPACA;
• Account-based active and retiree health plans — HRAs, HSAs, RMAs;
• Trends in Rx plan design; and
• Retiree medical options – Medicare Supplement, Medigap, Medicare Advantage plans.

Valuation

• Actuarial assumptions specific to health and welfare plans;
• Funding, including welfare benefits funds (including VEBAs), 401(h), 420 transfers;
• Implicit subsidy issues; and
• Special issues— RDS/PDP, account-based plans, ERRP, excise tax, etc.

Accounting

• Special issues within ASC 715-60 , ASC 965 , ASC 712, GASB 43/45, NAIC accounting, and IAS 19

Pricing and Reserving

• Medical plan underwriting;
• IBNR estimation; and
• Actuarial equivalence testing for RDS.

Speakers