COVID-19 Virtual Symposium

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9:00 – 10:00 AM CT       

Opening Session

COVID-19: Health System and Human Impact

More than four months after the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic, and six months after the first COVID-19 cases were reported in the U.S. and Canada, additional information continues to emerge about the disease and its impact on population health, mortality, comorbidities and health care service delivery. In this session, experts will highlight current trends on COVID-19 and their observations on how future health and mortality effects of the pandemic are playing out.

Presenters:

Larry Levitt, Executive Vice President for Health Policy, Kaiser Family Foundation

Douglas O’Brien, Regional Director, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

Dave Rengachary, M.D., DBIM, FALU; Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Director for U.S. Mortality Markets, RGA Reinsurance Company

Moderator: R. Dale Hall, FSA, CERA, CFA, MAAA; Managing Director of Research, Society of Actuaries

 

10:00 – 10:30 AM CT

Break

 

10:30 – 11:30 AM CT

Life Track Session: Selling Insurance Six Feet Apart

Life, annuity and health insurance products are often complex and prior to COVID-19, required face-to-face discussions to facilitate customer understanding and trust. The post-COVID-19 landscape for marketing and selling of life, annuity, and health insurance products will likely look quite different. The necessary development and acceleration of virtual and contactless strategies will have a transformative effect on marketing, sales and management of group and individual life, annuity and health insurance products.

Presenters:

Brendan Costello, FSA, MAAA; Director and Actuary, M Financial

Manisha Dias, FSA, CERA, FCIA; AVP Business Development, Strategic Partnerships, SCOR

Bruce Fuller, FSA, MAAA, CFA; Vice President, M Financial

Nick Ortner, FSA, MAAA; Consulting Actuary, Milliman

Michael Prendes, FSA, MAAA; Vice President and Senior Market Actuary, elipsLife

Moderator: David Schraub, FSA, CERA, AQ, MAAA; Staff Partner, Society of Actuaries

 

Health Track Session: COVID-19 Impact on Health Service Delivery

COVID-19 has affected our health service delivery system with tremendous pressure on all stakeholders, including insurers, hospitals, providers, community health organizations, diagnostic laboratories and the pharmaceutical industry. 

Access to vital health care has been deferred as services were diverted to handle COVID-19 and reduce the strain on the health care system. Primary care practices, rural hospitals and specialist revenues have all been affected with members putting off much-needed care. How will the health service delivery system find balance and resume normal operations while continuing to address COVID issues for the remainder of 2020 & beyond? How will the delivery system work its way to a new normal? How will provider behavior and risk appetites change in response to these challenges? Will we see additional consolidation? Experts will address these questions and more during this session.

Presenters:

Stephanie Entzminger, FSA, MAAA; Consulting Actuary, Axene Health Partners, LLC

Katherine Hempstead, Senior Policy Adviser, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Erik Johnson, Vice President & National Practice Lead, Value Based Care; OptumInsight

Moderator: Sudha Shenoy, FSA, CERA, MAAA; President, Steer Health

 

11:30 AM – 12:00 PM CT

Break

 

12:00 – 1:00 PM CT

Life Track Session: Asset Liabilities and the Impact of COVID-19 on Life Insurers

In only a short period of time, the coronavirus spread throughout the world and as a result, created  economic downturns and challenges. This session will examine how these economic changes have impacted life insurers. Along with recapping what has occurred to date with the coronavirus and life insurer assets and liabilities, presenters will discuss insurer strategies and considerations for addressing the current economic environment. Potential regulatory activities supporting the consumer and life insurance industry will also be covered. The presenters will provide a forward-looking perspective on these issues.

At the conclusion of this session, attendees will have a better understanding of the impact of the coronavirus on life insurers regarding surplus, asset liability and risk management.

Presenters:

Patricia E. Matson, FSA, MAAA; Partner, Risk & Regulatory Consulting, LLC

Craig Michaud, FSA, MAAA; Consultant, Willis Towers Watson

Moderator & Presenter: Christopher Halloran, ASA; Senior Consultant, Actuarial Consulting, Oliver Wyman

 

Health Track Session: The Other Side of the Coin – Deferred Care Offsets

With many people avoiding medical care during the pandemic (either due to societally-dictated measures or a desire to minimize exposure), providers and carriers have seen an upheaval in utilization and cost patterns. Some of this deferred care will likely return over the coming months, but how much and how soon? Will population morbidity and mortality be affected as a result? What about risk measurement?

This session will examine pandemic-related deferred medical care and how to analyze it. Learn how financial stakeholders are reacting to pandemic-related deferred care from a financial perspective and a population health perspective. 

Presenters:

Carol Bazell, M.D., MPH; Senior Healthcare Consultant, Milliman

Achilles Natsis, FSA, MAAA; Health Research Actuary, Society of Actuaries

Elya Papoyan, MPH; Actuarial Senior Consultant, Provider Actuarial Services, Optum Advisory Services

Kirsten Staveland, ASA, MAAA; Associate Actuary, Lewis & Ellis

Moderator: Geof Hileman, FSA, MAAA; Vice President and Actuary, Kennell and Associates

 

1:00 – 1:30 PM CT

Break

 

1:30 – 2:30 PM CT

Life Track Session: What Is the Data Telling Us About COVID-19?

The release of data and information on COVID-19 is fast-paced with new studies and research occurring at all hours. During this session, presenters will discuss what the data is telling actuaries about COVID-19  pertaining to emerging population and insured mortality.

At the conclusion of this session, attendees will have a better understanding of industry COVID-19 data and research as well as the implications of the virus to insured risks, life insurance underwriting and mortality modeling.

Presenters:

Marianne Purushotham, FSA, MAAA; Corporate Vice President, LIMRA 

Michael Taht, FSA, FCIA, MAAA; EVP, Research, Analytics & Underwriting; Munich American Reassurance Company

Moderator & Presenter: Cynthia MacDonald, FSA, MAAA; Senior Experience Studies Actuary, Society of Actuaries                         

 

Health Track Session: The Future Comes Soon Enough – What Will Tomorrow Bring?

COVID-19 has introduced unprecedented uncertainty on the medical delivery system and stakeholders have been focusing on immediate needs. At the same time, future needs must also must be accounted for in rate filings, staffing models and financial projections. As we prepare for the next few years, there will be obstacles as the health system (and society) adjusts to a new normal. 

This panel discussion will examine key considerations that carriers, providers and regulators should be aware of as we plan for the next few years. These include the impact of a vaccine, population health, provider network strength, operations and delivery.

Presenters:

Joan Barrett, FSA, MAAA; Consulting Actuary, Axene Health Partners, LLC

Jeff Milton-Hall, FSA, MAAA; Consulting Actuary, Milliman

Ben Ridenhour, Ph.D.; Assistant Professor, Mathematics Department, University of Idaho

Moderator: Doug Norris, FSA, MAAA, Ph.D.; Principal, Milliman

 

2:30 – 3:00 PM CT

Break

 

3:00 – 4:00 PM

 

Closing Session

Economic Impact on the Life and Health Industry and Beyond

COVID-19 economic impact on the life and health insurance industry is multifaceted. Deferred care leads to significant, unknown impacts on the liability and assets of insurers that are sizable. The ability to generate new sales and operate as an industry is challenged to define a new normal. This conversational session will discuss where the industry is going, and how the economy in North America and globally has been affected by this pandemic.

Presenters:

George Hansen, FSA, MAAA; Actuary, Credit Rating Criteria, Research and Analytics, AM Best

Ira Kalish, Ph.D.; Chief Global Economist, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Ltd.

Tim Zawacki, Principal Research Analyst, S&P Global Market Intelligence

Moderator: Greg Heidrich, Executive Director, Society of Actuaries

R. Dale Hall, FSA, CERA, CFA, MAAA (Moderator)

Managing Director of Research, Society of Actuaries

R. Dale Hall, FSA, CERA, CFA, MAAA, is the managing director of research for the Society of Actuaries (SOA). In his role, Hall coordinates the SOA’s strategic research partnerships, oversees SOA experience studies, coordinates research across the SOA’s wide variety of actuarial practice areas and markets, and directs the SOA’s data-driven in-house research initiatives. He is a frequent speaker at insurance and retirement industry meetings to highlight SOA research, including presentations to the NAIC and congressional committee testimony on pension plan mortality rates. Hall has appeared on behalf of the SOA in a variety of media outlets including National Public Radio, C-SPAN and National Geographic’s BREAKTHROUGH series, and hosts the SOA’s Research Insights Podcast.

Prior to joining the SOA in 2013, he spent over 20 years in the U.S. insurance industry, primarily as Chief Actuary for the life/health companies of COUNTRY Financial. While at COUNTRY, he was active in industry committees and was an adjunct professor in the actuarial science program at Illinois State University.

Larry Levitt,

Executive Vice President for Health Policy, Kaiser Family Foundation

Larry Levitt is the executive vice president for health policy, overseeing KFF’s policy work on Medicare, Medicaid, the health care marketplace, the Affordable Care Act, women’s health and global health. He previously was editor-in-chief of kaisernetwork.org, the Foundation’s online health policy news and information service, directed the Foundation’s communications and online activities, and its Changing Health Care Marketplace Project.Prior to joining KFF, Levitt served as a senior health policy advisor to the White House and Department of Health and Human Services, working on the development of President Clinton’s Health Security Act and other health policy initiatives. Earlier, he was the specialassistant for health policy with California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi, a medical economist with Kaiser Permanente, and served in a number of positions in Massachusetts state government.He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of California at Berkeley, and a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

Douglas O’Brien

Regional Director, Region V. Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Douglas O’Brien was appointed by the White House in November 2017 to serve as regional director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for Region V. As a presidential appointee, he provides executive leadership as the primary representative for the Secretary of Health and Human Services. The office of the Regional Director is also tasked with intergovernmental and external affairs bringing together federal, state, local and tribal government organizations, along with other external partners. In his role, O’Brien is responsible for the six Midwestern states of Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota, as well as 34 federally recognized tribes. This is his second term as regional director, having previously served from 2005-2007.A Chicago-area native, O’Brien has a long record of experience in public service and the private sector. He started his career in state government as an aide to the Illinois General Assembly and an administrator in the Illinois Department of Central Management Services and the Department of Revenue.During his original tenure at HHS, O’Brien was part of the team leading the national roll-out of the Medicare Part D drug benefit. He also worked extensively on pandemic preparation efforts and enhancing the department’s collaboration with state and local public health agencies.Following his initial service at HHS, O’Brien continued to provide leadership in the healthcare sector as chairman of the Illinois Chamber Healthcare Council, the state’s pre-eminent employer healthcare policy development group. Concurrently, he founded his own public policy consulting firm, Prairie State Strategies, assisting clients with advocacy, communications and public policy issues.O’Brien served as a health and human services policy advisor to Governor Bruce Rauner’s campaign and assisted in forming and served on Gov. Rauner’s transition team. In 2016, he was appointed by Gov. Rauner to serve as deputy director of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, which administers the state’s $20 billion Medicaid program.A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, O’Brien lives in suburban Chicago with his wife, Kate, a corporate attorney and member of the Illinois State Board of Elections and their twins, Patrick and Madeline.

Dave Rengachary, M.D., DBIM, FALU

Vice President and Chief Medical Director for U.S. Mortality Markets, RGA Reinsurance Company

Dave Rengachary, M.D., DBIM, FALU, is senior vice president and chief medical director for U.S. mortality markets at RGA Reinsurance Company. Prior to joining RGA in 2013, he was a general neurologist in practice at Missouri Baptist Medical Center where he also served as medical director for their primary stroke center. Dr. Rengachary attended the honors program in medical education at Northwestern University. He then completed an adult neurology residency at Washington University followed by a fellowship in clinical neurophysiology. Dr. Rengachary is the primary author and editor of the Washington University Neurology Survival Guide. He serves on the board of directors of Memory Home Care Solutions and Oasis, non-profit organizations respectively dedicated to Alzheimer’s caregiver support and healthy aging. Dr. Rengachary is enrolled in the executive MBA program at the Olin Business School at Washington University, beginning in fall of 2020.Dr. Rengachary is past-president of the Midwestern Medical Directors Association, deputy director of the Longer Life Foundation, medical consultant for the Academy of Life Underwriting, and a member of the Educational Committee of the American Academy of Insurance Medicine.

David Schraub, FSA, CERA, AQ, MAAA (Moderator)

Staff Partner, Society of Actuaries

David Schraub, FSA, CERA, AQ, MAAA, is the staff fellow for risk management and investment at the Society of Actuaries (SOA). He works to develop and support better risk management and investment effort of the actuaries, directing volunteer activities in these two areas. In addition, Schraub provides risk expertise to the SOA’s education (including both basic and continuing education programs) and research functions. He also serves as a liaison between the SOA and other organizations in the risk arena and works to facilitate the intellectual capital development of actuaries in risk management.

Brendan Costello, FSA, MAAA

Director and Actuary, M Financial Group

Brendan Costello, FSA, MAAA, is director and actuary at M Financial Group, where he is involved in the development and management for M's portfolio of life insurance products.

Manisha Dias, FSA, CERA, FCIA

AVP Business Development, Strategic Partnerships, SCOR

Manisha Dias, FSA, CERA, FCIA, leads the end-to-end development of new protection offerings for the U.S. Market by bringing together carriers, distributors and other ecosystem partners through the stages of ideation, strategy, distribution, pricing, underwriting design, tech and execution. She is focused primarily on creating direct-to-consumer and digitally-enabled solutions for underserved markets. Dias holds a bachelor’s degree in actuarial science with finance from the University of Waterloo. She is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (SOA) and of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries (CIA).

Bruce Fuller, FSA, CFA, MAAA

Vice President, M Financial

Bruce Fuller, FSA, CFA, MAAA, has spent his entire career within the life insurance field, focusing primarily on finance and risk management. In his current role, he is a vice president for a distribution owned financial services organization. Fuller is primarily responsible for overseeing the daily operations of the M Financial Group’s agent-owned reinsurance company, providing support for product development efforts, and managing aspects of the distribution owner relationship within M.

Nick Ortner, FSA, MAAA

Consulting Actuary, Milliman

Nick Ortner, FSA, MAAA, is a consulting actuary with Milliman’s Chicago-Milwaukee health practice. Ortner has over 25 years of leadership and product innovation and management experience with national consulting firms and insurance carriers, and has held management roles responsible for product development, financial performance, and sales partnership growth and expansion.

Michael Prendes, FSA, MAAA

Senior Market Actuary and Vice President, elipsLife

Mike Prendes, FSA, MAAA is a Senior Market Actuary and Vice President at elipsLife, a subsidiary of Swiss Re. At elipsLife, Prendes is responsible for pricing and management of its portfolio of Group Life and Disability products in the US market into which it has recently expanded. In his role, reporting to the elipsLife Chief Actuary, he also partners with company leaders to develop a successful strategy for pricing, product positioning, and financial management. His background is diverse with both actuarial and non-actuarial roles within the group employee benefits space. Before joining elipsLife, Prendes was as a Principal and Consulting Actuary at Sydney Consulting Group, a premier actuarial and compliance consulting firm specializing in supplemental life and health products. Before that, he previously served as Director of Product Management at Anthem, where he oversaw the launch of new supplemental benefits, and also Allstate Benefits, where he lead pricing and design projects for various life and health employee benefits.

Sudha Shenoy, FSA,MAAA,CERA (Moderator)

President, Steer Health Consulting

Sudha Shenoy, FSA, CERA, MAAA, is a president at Steer Health Consulting. She has over 25 years of actuarial expertise various actuarial positions across payers, providers as well as general health care consulting. Shenoy’s clients have included provider groups, state governments and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Her experience covers all lines of business including Medicaid rate setting, ACOs, Medicare bid review and audit, value-based purchasing, provider risk contracting and reimbursement modeling.Shenoy is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (SOA), a member of the Academy of Actuaries, and a Chartered Enterprise Risk Analyst. She is an active volunteer on many SOA projects and is currently serving on the SOA Health Section Council. Shenoy has served on the Board of Directors of the SOA.

Stephanie Entzminger, FSA, MAAA

Consulting Actuary, Axene Health Partners, LLC

Stephanie Entzminger, FSA, MAAA, is a consulting actuary in the Temecula office of Axene Health Partners. She joined the firm in 2018 and serves clients with her expertise in long-term care. Entzminger also provides a wide variety of actuarial services. She previously worked in an insurance setting for Continental LTC, Inc. as a pricing actuary for their long-term care business. Entzminger has also worked in a consultant setting for Towers Watson in their defined benefit pension group. She assisted in the development of the AHP COVID-19 Planning Resource Model and has been active in recent COVID-19-related research and projects. Entzminger earned a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, as well as a Master of Arts in Mathematics with a concentration in actuarial science from the University of Texas in Austin. She is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (SOA) as well as a member of the American Academy of Actuaries. Entzminger currently serves on the Section Council for the Social Insurance and Public Finance Section of the SOA.She lives in the San Diego area with her husband, baby and their dog. They enjoy camping and hiking all around Southern California.

Katherine Hempstead

Senior Policy Adviser, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Katherine Hempstead is a senior policy adviser at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. She works on health care issues, mostly those related to health insurance, costs, and access to care. In Hempstead’s work in the policy unit, she seeks to inform policy discussions at the federal and state level by making data and analyses widely available. She is particularly interested making new sources of data that have the potential to inform policy available to researchers and the public sector. Hempstead joined the Foundation in 2011. Prior to that, she was the director of the Center for Health Statistics in the New Jersey Department of Health, where she focused on analysis and dissemination of major data sets including vital statistics, hospital discharge data, and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Hempstead received a Ph.D. in Demography and History from the University of Pennsylvania, where she also received a bachelor’s degree in history and economics. She was a post-doctoral fellow at Princeton University’s Office of Population Research at the Woodrow Wilson School. Hempstead has taught history, public policy and biostatistics in various settings. She frequently speaks and writes about health insurance and other health care topics. Hempstead is also an active researcher and has authored numerous articles in the peer-reviewed literature.

Erik Johnson

Vice President & National Practice Lead, Value Based Care, OptumInsight

Erik Johnson is a vice president and national practice lead for value based care. He has broad experience in designing population health strategies for a broad array of providers. At Optum, Johnson leads clients through the process of developing new value-based care strategies and operating models that rely on the sharing of risk between payers and health systems; the development of Medicare ACO and Medicare Advantage strategies; and the design and development of post-acute care networks. In addition, he has extensive experience working with the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom as the NHS transitions its operating model toward one that is based on integrated care models and Triple Aim objectives.He was most recently senior vice president at Avalere Health, where he ran its health care networks consulting practice and oversaw new product development. Johnson assisted health care systems in determining how to adopt and assess accountable care and bundled payment models, and guiding overall strategy. He also worked with health IT companies in responding to emergent issues around EHRs and data exchange. Johnson has an B.A. with honors and distinction from Stanford University and an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Christopher Halloran, ASA (Moderator)

Senior Consultant, Actuarial Practice, Oliver Wyman

Christopher Halloran is a Senior Consultant with the Actuarial Practice of Oliver Wyman and leads the Charlotte office. His primary responsibilities are to provide actuarial consulting services to various insurance entities and organizations. He is frequently engaged in assumption development and review projects and is currently leading Oliver Wyman’s COVID-19 task force from a life insurance perspective.

Patricia Matson, FSA, MAAA

Partner, Risk & Regulatory Consulting

Tricia Matson, FSA, MAAA, is a partner at Risk & Regulatory Consulting. She has experience in a range of life & health products, statutory and GAAP valuation, and enterprise risk management.

Craig Michaud, FSA, MAAA

U.S. Consultant, Willis Towers Watson

Craig Michaud, FSA, MAAA, has 13 years of industry experience with a wide array of insurance related knowledge. He brings a unique blend of deep technical knowledge along with broad experience and thinking; resulting in the potential for creative approaches to issues. Michaud’s experience includes product pricing, valuation, managing ALM risk, generating financial plans and financial risk management. Prior to joining the firm, he worked in various roles at The Phoenix in Hartford, Connecticut. While there, Michaud gained experience in product development and pricing, financial planning, capital projections and capital management, modeling development (pricing, ALM and liability only), and hedging. During this time, he led multiple enterprise wide initiatives including the design and implementation of a macro surplus hedge as well as ALM optimization strategies.Michaud has a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics (honors) from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). He is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA) and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries (MAAA).

Geof Hileman, FSA, MAAA (Moderator)

Vice President and Actuary, Kennell and Associates

Geof Hileman, FSA, MAAA, is a vice president and actuary with Kennell and Associates, a DC-based health policy firm. He is a member of the Health Section Council and currently chairs the council’s strategic initiatives. With Kennell, Hileman consults to federal government clients, including the Defense Health Agency, the Department of Veterans Affairs and CMS. He has focused on risk adjustment, capitation rate development, dental pricing, and predictive analytics. Recently, Hileman has been evaluating the financial impacts of COVID-19 on the Department of Defense. Prior to joining Kennell in 2010, he was a pricing and reserving actuary with Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina and a consultant with the Actuarial Research Corporation. Hileman has completed 15 marathons, but only two in a barbershop quartet costume. He lives and works in Raleigh, North Carolina, with his wife and three teenagers.

Carol Bazell, M.D., MPH

Senior Healthcare Consultant, Milliman

Carol Bazell, M.D., MPH, is a senior healthcare consultant in the New York health practice of Milliman, currently working from her home in Columbia, Maryland. She joined Milliman in January 2018 after 15 years at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Following the establishment of the CMS Innovation Center under the authority of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, she assumed executive responsibility for the design and implementation of payment and service delivery models under CMS’ episode payment portfolio. Bazell also advised on the development and testing of other types of value-based payment models, including accountable care organizations, primary care transformation, Medicaid-focused initiatives, and models expanded nationally. Since joining Milliman, she has contributed clinical, federal regulatory, Medicare, and value-based payment expertise to projects for a wide variety of clients. Bazell also consulted with industry stakeholders on developing and communicating the value of products or services and identifying opportunities and strategies to reduce healthcare costs and improve population health. For the past three months, she has served on Milliman’s Health Discipline Oversight Committee, which coordinates the health discipline’s research and publications on COVID-19. Bazell also has contributed her clinical expertise to the assumptions and scenarios for Milliman’s COVID-19 modeling.

Achilles Natsis, FSA, MAAA

Health Research Actuary, Society of Actuaries

Achilles Natsis, FSA, MAAA, is a Fellow in the Society of Actuaries and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries. He is the health research actuary at the Society of Actuaries. Natsis has experience in Medicaid, commercial medical, group life and disability. He has worked on rate filings, valuation, and provider negotiations for managed care organizations and insurance carriers.

Elya Papoyan, MPH

Actuarial Senior Consultant, Provider Actuarial Services, Optum Advisory Services

Elya Papoyan, MPH, is a senior consultant in the provider actuarial practice of Optum Advisory Services and based out of Los Angeles, California. When not in the midst of a pandemic, she works in health economics, services and outcomes research and analytics. Papoyan trained as an epidemiologist at the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health with a concentration in infectious diseases. During her studies, she was also a Fulbright Scholar to the Republic of Armenia, where she studied the epidemiology of drug-resistant tuberculosis. For the last four months, Papoyan has been working on COVID-19 pandemic related forecasting tools and surveillance models aimed at consolidating and interpreting the constantly evolving data for actionable results for payers, providers and employers.

Kirsten Staveland, ASA, MAAA

Associate Actuary, Lewis & Ellis

Kirsten Staveland, ASA, MAAA, is an associate actuary with the Dallas office of Lewis & Ellis (L&E). L&E is an actuarial consulting firm that serves health plans, plan sponsors, states and state regulators across the country. L&E has expertise in many practice areas, but Kirsten is pleased to bring her broad background in health insurance to L&E's talented team of health care actuaries. Prior to joining Lewis & Ellis in June 2020, Staveland was an actuarial manager at Moda Health, a regional health insurance carrier headquartered in Portland, OR. During her ten-year tenure at Moda, she had the opportunity to build expertise in corporate actuarial work, mid and large group pricing, underwriting strategy and all things dental. Staveland served on many committees within Moda, providing an actuarial perspective on the potential cost impact of proposed benefit mandates, product and geographic expansion opportunities, provider contracting changes, cost containment efforts and most recently, COVID-19. She lives in Portland with her six-year old son Will. On the weekends you will find them hiking, swimming, camping, road-tripping and doing pretty much anything else that takes them out into Oregon's beautiful countryside.

Cynthia MacDonald, FSA, MAAA (Moderator)

Sr. Experience Studies Actuary, Society of Actuaries

Cindy MacDonald, FSA, MAAA, is a senior experience studies actuary at the Society of Actuaries (SOA), where she manages the internal and external resources that work with approximately 250 SOA volunteers to produce SOA experience studies. Prior to coming to the SOA in 2010, she worked at Allstate Financial, where she obtained over 25 years of experience in life and annuity product development and asset/liability management. MacDonald is a Fellow in the Society of Actuaries, a member of the American Academy of Actuaries and a CFA charterholder. She received her B.S. in mathematics/actuarial science from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana.

Marianne Purushotham, FSA, MAAA

Corporate Vice President, LIMRA

Marianne Purushotham, FSA, MAAA, is corporate vice president of LIMRA Research Data Services. She is responsible for LIMRA’s data analysis and statistical modeling functions including applications of predictive analytics to life and health insurance industry initiatives such as marketing, distribution, customer engagement and underwriting/new business. Purushotham manages LIMRA’s strategic research partnership with the Society of Actuaries (SOA), which includes studies of industry actuarial experience related to various insurance product lines. She is involved in several SOA and American Academy of Actuaries (AAA) industry groups, including the joint SOA/AAA Life Mortality Improvement Subgroup and the SOA Mortality and Longevity Steering Committee.During her 30 years in the insurance industry, Purushotham has worked in both insurer and consulting firm roles. Her areas of specialization included pricing and product development, valuation, financial reporting, assumption review, and experience analysis for life, annuity and health products.

Michael Taht, FSA, FCIA, MAAA

EVP, Research, Analytics & Underwriting, Munich American Reassurance Company

Mike Taht, FSA, FCIA, MAAA, joined Munich American Reassurance Company in November 2008. He is responsible for biometric research on a North American basis and the U.S. underwriting and medical and integrated underwriting solutions departments. As such, Taht oversees all aspects of risk selection and is responsible for how Munich Re addresses the rapidly shifting underwriting paradigm. Prior to this role, he was responsible for the individual reinsurance business in the U.S. Taht serves on the board of directors and is a member of the executive leadership team. Before joining Munich Re, he was a principal with Towers Perrin, a large international actuarial consulting firm. In this role, Taht consulted on issues such as securitization of individual life business, mortality issues and appraisals of both life reinsurance and life insurance companies. His clients included some of the largest life reinsurance and life insurance companies in the U.S. Taht is a graduate of the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Science in Math and Economics. He is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries. Taht is also a past president of the Southeastern Actuaries Conference.

Doug Norris, FSA, MAAA, Ph.D. (Moderator)

Principal, Milliman

Doug Norris, FSA, MAAA, Ph.D., is a principal in the Mountain Gulf Health practice of Milliman and is the secretary/treasurer of the Society of Actuaries’ Health Section Council. His primary focus is in support of commercial and Medicaid health plans, including strategy and tactics, legislation modeling, contract negotiations, alternative payment structures, plan pricing and medical underwriting. Norris is a frequent actuarial author, presenter and a faculty member for the SOA’s Advanced Commercial Pricing for Health Actuaries Boot Camp. Other recent large projects include ROI analysis support, predictive modeling and risk adjustment, IBNR, support for TRICARE, VA, and USFHP plans, behavioral health integration and value opportunity analyses, and modeling the efficacy of drug and therapy treatment courses. For the past three months, he has been coordinating Milliman’s health discipline research related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to joining Milliman, Norris was an assistant professor of mathematics at Westminster College (Salt Lake City), a research assistant at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (Boulder) and a graduate instructor at the University of Colorado (Boulder). Before the pandemic, he spent his free time mountain hiking and hockey goaltending. Norris currently lives and works in Golden, Colorado, with his wife Colleen and daughter Vivian (with another on the way).

Joan Barrett, FSA, MAAA

Consulting Actuary, Axene Health Partners, LLC

Joan Barrett, FSA, MAAA, is a consulting actuary with Axene Health Partners, LLC. She not only has a strong background in core actuarial areas like pricing, reserving, cost analysis, trend projections, network value modeling and comparative effectiveness analysis, she has also developed many innovative concepts in risk analysis and consumer analytics. Barrett is currently vice chair of the Health Section Council of the Society of Actuaries (SOA). In 2017, she completed her service as the vice president for the SOA. During her tenure on the Board of Directors, she chaired both the International Committee and the Audit Committee. In 2011, Barrett was named one of the top ten volunteers for the SOA because of her work as chair of the Group and Health Curriculum Committee, the group that defines what every aspiring health actuary needs to know. She is also a frequent speaker at SOA events and a frequent author for several SOA publications. Barrett lives in Tolland, Connecticut near her children and grandchildren.

Jeff Milton-Hall, FSA, MAAA

Consulting Actuary, Milliman

Jeff Milton-Hall, FSA, MAAA, is a consulting actuary with Milliman’s Seattle Health actuarial practice. He has extensive experience modeling the impact of health care reform and market disruptions, and most recently led Milliman’s efforts to model the impact of COVID-19 on enrollment and morbidity across state markets. Milton-Hall is an expert in commercial rate development. He has priced and prepared filings in over 20 states since ACA market reforms were enacted and recently coauthored Milliman’s whitepaper on COVID-19 considerations for 2021 rate filings. Milton-Hall’s experience also encompasses risk adjustment and Medicaid managed care.

Benjamin Ridenhour, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Mathematics Department, University of Idaho

Ben Ridenhour, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the mathematics department at the University of Idaho. His primary research focus is in applied mathematics and modeling dynamic biological systems, particularly those related to human health. As such, Ridenhour has developed methods for parameter estimation as well as developing novel models to help understand and predict disease outcomes. His latest passion is understanding dybioses brought about by the human microbiomes (e.g., Clostridium difficile nosocomial infections). Ridenhour has published numerous scientific papers in a wide range of journals. Since the beginning of 2020, he has led efforts to model the spread of COVID-19 in the state of Idaho, working closely with the governor's task force and the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare to develop policies to protect the state's public health. Ridenhour has also been a regular contributing member of the University of Texas COVID-19 modeling consortium. After completing his Ph.D. at Indiana University, he was a post-doctoral fellow at Washington State University and the University of Idaho. Ridenhour then worked on modeling the spread and prevention of seasonal and pandemic influenza while in the influenza division at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Idaho, he worked as a professor at the University of Notre Dame and was a member of the Eck Institute for Global Health.

Gregory W. Heidrich (Moderator)

Executive Director, Society of Actuaries

Greg Heidrich has served as executive director of the Society of Actuaries (SOA) since 2007. He serves as chief staff officer for the organization and provides management oversight and direction to the full range of the Society’s activities.Before joining the SOA, he served as senior vice president of policy development and research for the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI). At PCI, he worked with member insurers to develop public policy positions and research on issues facing the U.S. property/casualty insurance industry. Heidrich began his career in 1983 with the Alliance of American Insurers, serving as staff economist and director of research before serving in a variety of management roles.From 2011- 2017, he served as a member of the Board of Trustees of Portico Benefit Services, a non-profit organization providing employee benefits for employees nationwide of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). During Heidrich’s term on the Portico Board, he served as chair of the Investment and Executive Committees and as board chair from October 2015 – 2017.He served on the Board of Directors of the Association Forum of Chicagoland from 2016-2019 and is a member of the Key Professional Associations and Key Global Associations Committees of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE).Heidrich earned his M.A. in Economics from the University of Chicago in 1983 and his B.A. in Economics (Highest Honors) from the University of Oklahoma in 1981.

George Hansen, FSA, MAAA

Senior Industry Research Analyst, A.M. Best Company

George Hansen, FSA, MAAA, joined AM Best in January of 2006 and currently serves as senior industry research analyst. His primary focus is the timely production of research reports covering a broad array of topics, with emphasis on actuarial developments. Hansen also works with analysts in helping them understand reserve and capital changes and how they may impact capital model results and potential rating implications. Prior to joining AM Best, he worked for a regulatory consulting firm (INS Consultants, Inc.) in Philadelphia, PA. George served as the actuarial leader for state insurance department examinations. He also supported state insurance department reviews of complex policy forms, health rate increases and proposed actuarial reserve guidelines. Prior to working for INS, Hansen worked for various life insurance companies including ING, Penn Mutual and CIGNA. He has been a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries since 1991 and is also a member of the American Academy of Actuaries.

Ira Kalish, Ph.D.

Chief Global Economist, Deloitte

Ira Kalish, Ph.D., is the chief global economist of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Ltd. He is a specialist in global economic issues as well as the effects of economic, demographic, and social trends on the global business environment. Dr. Kalish has written about the economies of Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, China, Japan, Mexico and South America, and has also written extensively on global consumer markets. He advises Deloitte clients as well as Deloitte’s leadership on economic issues and their impact on business strategy. In addition, Dr. Kalish has given numerous presentations to corporations and trade organizations on topics related to the global economy. He also serves on the BIAC Economic Policy Committee, which advises the OECD on macroeconomic policy issues. Dr. Kalish is widely traveled and has given presentations in 47 countries on six continents. He has been widely quoted in the news media with his remarks published by the Wall Street Journal, The Economist, The Financial Times, USA Today, The Washington Post, and U.S. News & World Report. Dr. Kalish has appeared on CNN, CBS News, CNBC, PBS and BBC World Service.Dr. Kalish holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Vassar College and a Ph.D. in international economics from Johns Hopkins University. He lives in Santa Monica, California with his wife and daughters.

Tim Zawacki

Principal Research Analyst, S&P Global Market Intelligence

Tim Zawacki is a principal research analyst covering the U.S. insurance industry for S&P Global Market Intelligence. Based in Charlottesville, VA, he authors annual white papers on the U.S. P&C, auto, life and annuity, and accident and health insurance industries along with various other thought leadership providing outlooks and insight on key industry trends and developments across lines of business and product categoriesZawacki is responsible for periodic research analyzing insurance M&A trends in the property and casualty, life and annuity insurance sectors, and insurance investment management trends, with a particular focus on structured finance, real estate and nontraditional asset classes.A native of Syracuse, New York, he is a graduate of the University of Virginia.

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Opening Session: COVID-19: Health System and Human Impact
07/22/2020 at 10:00 AM (EDT)  |  Recorded On: 07/29/2020
07/22/2020 at 10:00 AM (EDT)  |  Recorded On: 07/29/2020 For assistance with this session, please email [email protected]
You must register to access.
Life Track Session: Selling Insurance Six Feet Apart
07/22/2020 at 11:30 AM (EDT)  |  Recorded On: 07/29/2020
07/22/2020 at 11:30 AM (EDT)  |  Recorded On: 07/29/2020 For assistance with this session, please email [email protected]
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Health Track Session: COVID-19 Impact on Health Service Delivery
07/22/2020 at 11:30 AM (EDT)  |  Recorded On: 07/29/2020
07/22/2020 at 11:30 AM (EDT)  |  Recorded On: 07/29/2020 For assistance with this session, please email [email protected]
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Life Track Session: Asset Liabilities and the Impact of COVID-19 on Life Insurers
07/22/2020 at 1:00 PM (EDT)  |  Recorded On: 07/29/2020
07/22/2020 at 1:00 PM (EDT)  |  Recorded On: 07/29/2020 For assistance with this session, please email [email protected]
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Health Track Session: The Other Side of the Coin – Deferred Care Offsets
07/22/2020 at 1:00 PM (EDT)  |  Recorded On: 07/29/2020
07/22/2020 at 1:00 PM (EDT)  |  Recorded On: 07/29/2020 For assistance with this session, please email [email protected]
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Life Track Session: What Is the Data Telling Us About COVID-19?
07/22/2020 at 2:30 PM (EDT)  |  Recorded On: 07/29/2020
07/22/2020 at 2:30 PM (EDT)  |  Recorded On: 07/29/2020 For assistance with this session, please email [email protected]
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Health Track Session: The Future Comes Soon Enough – What Will Tomorrow Bring?
07/22/2020 at 2:30 PM (EDT)  |  Recorded On: 07/29/2020
07/22/2020 at 2:30 PM (EDT)  |  Recorded On: 07/29/2020 For assistance with this session, please email [email protected]
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Closing Session: Economic Impact on the Life and Health Industry and Beyond
07/22/2020 at 4:00 PM (EDT)  |  Recorded On: 07/29/2020
07/22/2020 at 4:00 PM (EDT)  |  Recorded On: 07/29/2020 For assistance with this session, please email [email protected]
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Overall Program Evaluation
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Q: The slides are not loading; I can’t see the slides, other technical issues.
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Step 2: Please review the following Technical Requirements and be sure your system and networks are up to date.

Minimum System Requirements:

2.0Ghz Processor or faster 2 GB RAM (Greater than 2 GB recommended) Minimum Browser Requirements:

Browser must support HTML-5. To detect your browser version, run https://whichbrowser.net/

Windows 7 or later Mac OS X 10.9 or later Chrome 60 or greater Firefox 52 or greater Edge 14 or greater Safari 10 or greater iOS 10 or greater Internet Explorer 11 IP Addresses and Ports to Allow for HTML5: 72.32.161.112 port 80, 443 (web and audio) 72.32.200.104 port 80, 443 (web and audio) 72.32.221.65 ports 80, 443 (web and audio) 72.32.221.66 ports 80, 443 (web and audio) 67.203.7.114 ports 80, 443 (web and audio)

Other Recommendations: It is recommended that you use a PC or MAC with an updated Internet Browser. Make sure you have pop-ups blockers disabled in your Internet browser settings. Make sure that your internet browser is Active X enabled. Wifi is not recommended. The problem with WiFi is signal strength can vary causing bandwidth to increase or decrease. We recommend a wired connection. A wired connection gives a consistent signal and consistent bandwidth. A wired connection provides a better experience. Audio (sound) is projected through your computer speakers. Be sure your computer is equipped with speakers or the room where the conference is being broadcast is equipped with speakers so you can hear the presenters.