Description: Estimation of hazard rates at extremely old ages poses serious challenges to researchers: 1 The observed mortality deceleration may be at least partially an artifact of mixing different birth cohorts with different mortality heterogeneity effect 2 Standard assumptions of hazard rate estimates may be invalid when risk of death is extremely high at old ages 3 Ages of very old people may be exaggerated. In this paper we propose an alternative approach, which gives an opportunity to resolve the first two problems by compiling data for more homogeneous single-year birth cohorts with hazard rates measured at narrow monthly age intervals. Possible ways of resolving the third problem of hazard rate estimation were elaborated.

Description: Discussion of Session 5B: Papers presented: Data Validation and Measurement of Cohort Mortality among Centenarians in Quebec and Physical and Socioeconomic Characteristics at a Young Age as Predictors of Survival

Description: This paper presents recent trends in obesity prevalence in significant population segments, including overall effects by age, gender and certain racial and ethnic groups, and discusses the ways in which obesity can influence mortality in each of these segments. It provides a synthesis of reported mortality experience relating to these behaviors by risk factors and diseases that will affect any mortality projection.

Description: Paper examining the degree to which certain actuarial methods satisfy public pension plan funding objectives.

Description: Paper discusses transition considerations if bond-based discount rates are used for funding public pension plans.

Description: Part 2 proposes solutions to the second of three flaws of the current financial model to obtaining the fair value of the public sector employer’s pension benefit liability.

Description: Chapter 5 simulates the risk adjustment process within a hypothetical purchasing alliances using four different risk assessment methods. From A Comparative Analysis of Methods of Health Risk Assessment, M-HB96-1.

Description: Three appendices: Selected Readings, Summary of Data Preparation and Data Issues, and Detailed Results on Predictive Accuracy. From A Comparative Analysis of Methods of Health Risk Assessment, M-HB96-1.

Description: The purpose of this paper is to study mortality-based securities, such as mortality bonds and swaps, and to price the proposed mortality securities. The focus is on individual annuity data, although some of the modeling techniques could be applied to other lines of annuity or life insurance.

Description: This paper suggests a possible framework for the mandatory annuitization of U.S. retirement savings, considers the experience of other countries and analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of mandatory annuitization.