SOCIAL INSURANCE & PUBLIC FINANCE SECTION

Transcription

1 SOCIAL INSURANCE & PUBLIC FINANCE SECTION SOCIAL INSURANCE & PUBLIC FINANCE SECTION COUNCIL Steve Schoonveld, Chairperson Jeffery Rykhus, Vice-Chairperson Bruce Schobel, Treasurer Sue Ann Collins Vincent Granieri Gordon Latter James Meidlinger Tia Sawhney Gregg Schneider INSTRUCTIONS Please vote for up to three candidates. Ballots with four or more votes are invalid and will not be counted. The top three candidates will receive three year terms. Only names of persons who have indicated they would serve, if elected, are listed on the ballot. The following applies to each section. Biographical information and answers to the question are as provided by the candidates. Biographies are limited to identification of employment, major fields of professional activity, service in the Society of Actuaries, and other relevant experience. Candidate names are listed on the ballot in the order in which biographies were received.

2 John B. (Jack) Cumming, FSA, MAAA Consulting Actuary, Independent Actuaries Carlsbad, CA After many years in New York City working for New York Life, Equitable Life, and Home Life in positions of increasing responsibility, I moved to California as Chief Actuary of a company that was later folded into the Travelers-CitiCorp conglomeration. Since I had worked early in my career as a consulting actuary for what is now PriceWaterhouseCooper, after the fold I returned to consulting and have enjoyed an active and varied consulting practice for the past 24 years. I now live in a continuing care retirement community and that has made me increasingly aware both of the social challenge faced by the United States as our population ages and of possible practical responses to that challenge. In order to better understand the issues, I qualified by examination as a Certified Aging Services Professional. I now serve on the Boards of both the National Continuing Care Residents Association and LeadingAge California, the continuing care provider organization. Federally sponsored social insurance programs have become the major force in our governmental budget and a force affecting our national economic viability. I believe that we must focus our best minds on establishing these programs on a sound and equitable basis so that future generations can enjoy the same prosperity with which we have been blessed. I gave many years of service to Education and Examination work, retiring from that activity as the Chair of an Examination Committee. Beyond that, I found that business activity prevented my pursuing advancement through the ranks of the Society of Actuaries. Over the years I have commented from time to time on ASOPs in the interests of professional integrity, and recently, though, I returned to service as a member of the Governance Task Force of the American Academy of Actuaries, which attempted to address some of the governance issues which have plagued our profession for many years. Francis Bacon famously said I hold every man a debtor to his profession; from which as men of course do seek to receive countenance and profit, so ought they of duty to endeavor themselves, by way of amends, to be a help and ornament thereunto. I have tried to take that insight to heart and have given of my energies when it was evident that service could make a difference. I have long been active in various industry associations with which I have been affiliated and have actively served every community in which I have lived in various capacities. Hence, I have taken the Baconian admonition and extended in beyond our debt to our profession to include our larger debt to society at large. At my age, 76, I don t think that one thinks of leading a section or leading much of anything for that matter. However, there is a wisdom and insight that can come with age, and there is a delightful freedom that comes from not being beholden to a hierarchy, and it is in that sense that I have offered to serve in the role of a member of the Council if that should be the wish of my peers.

3 Steven D. Bryson, FSA, MAAA, FCA, EA Vice President, Lewis & Ellis, Inc. Richardson, TX Forty years of actuarial experience, including enrolled actuary practice (1979 to 1994), health insurance consulting (1994 to date), retiree medical valuations (1994 to date), and public sector actuarial audits (2005 to date). Member of the Examination Committee, Fellowship Admissions Course Committee, Annual meeting committee for the Conference of Consulting Actuaries, , Destination Imagination, Inc., Challenge Master, I see this as an opportunity to give back to a profession that has been so generous to me for the past forty years. If I am given the opportunity to serve that profession and our nation at a very crucial point in history, I will give of my time, talent and insight freely. Sven Sinclair, FSA, MAAA Economist, Social Security Administration Baltimore, MD I am an Economist in the Social Security Administration s Office of the Chief Actuary. For the last nine years, I have worked in the U.S. Federal Government, mostly on long-term economic analysis of fiscal policy, especially related to social insurance programs. Previously, I taught actuarial science at the University of Waterloo and Drake University. Early in my actuarial career I worked in the private sector, in health insurance and benefits consulting. I hold a Ph.D. in Insurance and Risk Management from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Co-Editor of the North American Actuarial Journal since 2008; long-time occasional reviewer for the Journal. Member of the Advanced Financial Economics exam committee in Member of the Education & Research and Social Insurance & Public Finance Sections. Member of the Social Security (formerly Social Insurance) Committee of the American Academy of Actuaries since Former Treasurer of the Northern Virginia Ethical Society.

4 If I had to describe my area of expertise in five words, the name of this section would work almost perfectly. I believe that through this section I can help the SOA lead in educating the profession and the public in the area of social insurance, and to identify research projects to conduct or sponsor in that area. As social insurance programs are hotly debated in the media and in the political arena, it is important for the SOA to establish itself as a credible, impartial source of knowledge about the actuarial aspects of those programs. Being both an actuary and an economist, and having worked as a government analyst, an academic, as well as in the private sector, I believe I can bring a unique perspective to this section s leadership. Jean Condon, FSA, MAAA AVP and Actuarial Director of A&H Zurich NA New York, NY I was a consulting actuary in the pension field for many years. I moved on to work for a client, and there my role expanded to defined contribution plans and other employee benefits as well as communications. I enjoyed helping employees to understand their benefits and prepare for retirement. After a child-rearing break, I began anew in Property Casualty, which is where I had originally started. But, a few years later I migrated towards employer stoploss health plans. Now I work primarily with accident plans, but maintain a role in the employer stop-loss world. I read a lot and try to keep up to date on the state of Social Security, and the implementation of the ACA. I would like the opportunity to act upon my interests, and hopefully contribute back to society - as a volunteer on the Social Insurance & Public Finance Council. This is my first time volunteering in an official role with the SOA, though I did volunteer as part of an AAA group preparing a response to an HHS request related to ACA. I m not sure its relevant, but I have volunteered from time to time to do charity work through my job, and I stepped up to help manage the AYSO soccer team when they were desperate for volunteers.

5 Krzysztof Ostaszewski, FSA, CERA Professor of Mathematics and Actuarial Program Director Illinois State University Normal, IL Krzysztof Ostaszewski holds a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Washington in Seattle from He is a 1991 Chartered Financial Analyst, a 1994 Member of the American Academy of Actuaries, a 1999 Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, a 2009 Chartered Enterprise Risk Analyst, and a 2010 Fellow of the Singapore Actuarial Society. He was a 1995 Fulbright Research Fellow in Poland, studying actuarial aspects of free market reforms, and a Fulbright Specialist in He is also a current Fulbright Specialist (since 2013). Krzysztof Ostaszewski is also the Research Director for Life Insurance and Pensions at the Geneva Association, International Association for the Study of Insurance Economics. Krzysztof Ostaszewski directs the Actuarial Program at Illinois State University, which is a Center of Actuarial Excellence. Krzysztof Ostaszewski has published extensively, including two research monographs with the Society of Actuaries, two monographs with the American Mathematical Society, and several other books, as well as papers in journals such as North American Actuarial Journal, Journal of Risk and Insurance, American Economic Review, Proceedings of the American Mathematical Society, Insurance: Mathematics and Economics, or Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance: Issues and Practice, and many others. Krzysztof Ostaszewski is one of the co-authors and signatories of the Actuarial Standard of Practice No. 32 concerning social insurance. Past Member, Social Security Committee Past Member, Education and Research Council Past Member, Joint Committee for Career Encouragement Past member of the Social Insurance Committee of the American Academy of Actuaries One of the co-authors and signatories of the Actuarial Standard of Practice No. 32 concerning social insurance

6 Ali Zaker-Shahrak, FSA, MAAA, CFA, Ph.D. Senior Life Actuary, California Department of Insurance Los Angeles, CA I am a senior life actuary at California Department of Insurance. I have held the current position for the last eight years. My main responsibility, among other things, is to review health insurance rate (increase) filings for reasonability and adequacy. Over the last eight years I have reviewed more than a thousand such filings. A number of times I have volunteered for Education and Exam Committee. Over the last year, I have regularly attended the Social Insurance and Public Finance Council s monthly conference calls as an interested party. I have presented papers at past SOA annual and health meetings. I have also moderated some sessions. For the last two years I have been a member of American Academy s Social Security Committee. I am interested in becoming a member of Social Insurance and Public Finance Section council for two reasons: 1. Reason one: I believe actuaries have expertise that they can use to shed light to the general discussion of appropriate ways that public insurance programs can be financed. Therefore, I believe with my background training in actuarial science, economics and finance, I will be able to contribute in a positive way to the discussion of financial aspects of public insurance programs. 2. Reason two: Over the years I have noticed that sometimes actuaries and other experts take positions that are political. If I am elected I will make every effort to make sure that the SIPF council deliberations and pronouncements are as much as possible non-political. Ivy Gao, FSA, MAAA Director of Actuarial Service, Medicare PDP & Retiree Solutions Express Scripts Montvale, NJ I ve been working on Medicare Part D (individual PDP & group EGWPs) since late Prior to that, I worked on employee health benefits consulting and dental product pricing. Of the three actuarial positions I ve held, I felt most engaged with and challenged by my current job since it has a broad scope and impact and it s rapidly changing. Aside from Social Insurance & Public Finance, I m also a member of various SOA sections such as Health, Management & Personal Development, International, etc. Why are you interested in leading the Social Insurance & Public Finance Section? I would like to help our section to exert impact on government policy-making related to Medicare and Medicaid. Various research and studies have shown that the current Medicare/Medicaid system is not sustainable over the long run. We have budget cut/sequestration on one hand, and the Health Care Affordability Act on the other hand. I want to help to find a solution that, by the time I retire, there will be viable benefits available for my generation and going forward.

7 Jian Yu, FSA Chief Actuary, Priority Health Grand Rapids, MI Jian Yu is the Chief Actuary of Priority Health, overseeing the Actuarial Services and Medical Economics department. She has over 15 years of health care experience, with a focus in managed care. Jian has developed expertise and broad experience through her work at both health plans and consulting firms, covering commercial and government sponsored programs. Prior to joining Priority Health, she was a consulting actuary at Milliman, Towers Perrin. She also served in senior management positions in a large insurance company. Jian is a fellow of the Society of Actuaries and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries. She holds a master s degree in Actuarial Science from University of Wisconsin - Madison. Member of the Financial Reporting, Health, Management & Personal Development, Product Development, Reinsurance, and Social Insurance & Public Finance Sections. Grading and sorting for the DP exam for several years (Group and Health Design/Pricing Examination Committee). Social insurance and public finance are significantly impacted by the policies and a have huge impact to everyone s life. These policies affecting these areas can be extremely complex and difficult to develop. I m interested in leading the section because I believe actuaries are uniquely qualified to inform public policy development and enhance public understanding of social insurance and health policies with fact-based, objective analytics. Lijia Guo, ASA, MAAA Deputy Chief Actuary & Director Office of the Actuary, Department of Veterans Affairs Washington, DC Lijia Guo has been leading the Office of the Actuary in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in providing actuarial, risk and analytic solutions to support VA in providing healthcare, compensation and pension and other benefits to America s veterans in the last four years. Prior to joining VA in 2009, she lead the research and development team in providing ERM and financial and predictive modeling solutions for Fortune 100 companies in the insurance and banking industry. Dr. Guo has 16 years of actuarial professional experience serving the public sector, including over a decade of academic teaching and research in actuarial science. Lijia is a frequent contributor to actuarial seminars and publications for both the Society of the Actuary (SOA) and the Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS) since Dr. Guo has contributed to many SOA and CAS sponsored research projects including financial modeling, enterprise risk management, healthcare, and predictive modeling. She has served various SOA working groups and research oversight committees including the ERM Committee with the America Actuarial Academy.

8 Dr. Guo is an enthusiastic educator and the founding director of the Actuarial Science Program at the University of Central Florida. She devotes herself to bringing academic research to the actuarial practice for solving business problems. She organized the Applied Actuarial Research Conference that brought academia and practitioners together worldwide. She is also a frequent speaker at predictive modeling and data mining conferences. Dr. Guo would like to share her 20 years of actuarial practicing, research, and education expertise with the section to develop high quality and cutting-edge continuing education programs and to sponsor fundamental research to improve the social insurance programs, including government funded health plans, workers compensation insurance, unemployment insurance and public pension plans. Dazhi Fan, FSA, MAAA Consultant Mercer Government Human Services Consulting Phoenix, AZ I am currently a consultant with Mercer, providing consulting services to state Medicaid programs. My 12-year professional experience includes group health and disability insurance, LTC insurance, PBM risk management, Medicare and Medicaid advisory works. I am a member of the International Section and Long Term Care Insurance Section. I am currently helping in proctoring fellowship exams twice a year. As health care reform is implementing its key provisions starting 2014, we are going to witness and experience historical changes in the coming years. It will have far reaching implications beyond just health care, bringing social and economic impacts to every member of this society (poor or rich, small company or conglomerate company, local or federal government). I am fascinated by the foreseeable changes and would like to lead this section to better share the emerging information with fellow actuaries and many other stake holders as well. More than ever, public and regulators are looking for impartial opinions from actuaries. As a council member together with other council members and all the section actuaries, we can identify the best articles to publish, we can find the experts to discuss relevant issues and through discussion, communication and education, we can not only have better understand what is happening but find the best solutions as well. I appreciate SOA and every actuary who give me the opportunity to become the council member of Social Insurance & Public Finance Section and I believe my experience and motivation makes an ideal candidate.