Workshops

Date Details
Day two 10:05 - 10:55 Workshop session A
 

A1: Update from the Geographical Variations Critical Illness working party

 Members of the working party will present an update on their work looking at variations in the incidence by geographical location of some of the main critical illness conditions. They will discuss progress on the analysis of a customised data extract from the Hospital Episode Statistics database and how a linkage with socio economic indicators has been created.  Initial findings will be presented for the first time at the conference.

Speakers: Members of the Geographical Variations working party

Level: No prior knowledge required.

 

A2: Solvency II – what it means for health insurers and their customers2012 will see a significant amount of activity in preparation for Solvency II readiness. Despite changes to the implementation date and uncertainty on certain aspects of the proposed regime, health insurers will need to consider what the Solvency II regime will mean for their business, what the Board will need to approve and how and where value can be extracted from achieving Solvency II compliance. In particular we focus on the specific challenges facing health insurers.

Speakers: James Rowlands and Kuen Chik, KPMG LLP  

Level: No prior knowledge required

 

A3: Around the world in 15 distribution models    

 RDR is a catalyst focusing minds and causing people to rethink distribution. Innovations are proliferating elsewhere in response to regulatory, technological, social and demographic changes. We’ll consider fifteen innovative channels from the UK and elsewhere and consider some of the more likely future scenarios.

Speakers: Greg Becker, RGA and Bryce Johns, Old Mutual

Level: No prior knowledge required

 

A4: The evolution of predictive underwriting                        

Drawing on our knowledge and experience of predictive underwriting developments in the UK and international markets,we will summarise:

  • what techniques are involved in predicting underwriting outcomes
  • why predictive underwriting can help individualise the underwriting process for our customers
  • how approaches to predicting underwriting outcomes have evolved over time
  • which approaches work best for different types of insurer
  • what lessons can be learned from our market, other markets and other industries.

Those attending the session will leave with a knowledge of predictive underwriting and ideas on how it could be applied to their business.

Speakers: Jonathan Hughes and Rachel Wood, Munich Re

Level: No prior knowledge required

Date Details
Day two 11:25 - 12:15 Workshop session B
 

B1: Personalising on an industrial scale

Wellness programmes to fit the customer, not customers to fit the wellness programme. It is now commonly accepted in the industry that we are facing dramatic growth in future healthcare costs, unless the increase in chronic disease can be reversed. However, the ability to reverse this trend depends on the ability to tailor interventions to millions of people, each with their own unique health, wellness and lifestyle needs. This paper looks at a possible methodology, covering:

  • why we care; whether change is possible
  • why it’s so hard to induce change
  • how a wellness programme can be designed to influence as many people as possible, by tailoring communications, goals and incentives to each individual.

Speakers: Tom Davis and Dr Katie Tryon, PruHealth

Level: No prior knowledge required

 

B2: Accessing and engaging with customers (the consumer perspective)            

Pulling together Swiss Re's recent consumer research, and experience from around the world.  How do we best break into the consumers busy life and sell them insurance?

Speaker: Alan Martin and Nicki Plews, Swiss Re    

Level: Prior knowledge helpful

 

B3:  Recessions and disability experience around the world                  

We will present a meta-study of prior recessions and their impact on disability experience from the USA, Canada, Australia and South Africa before moving on to look at the experience from the last recession in the USA.  Wherever possible we will draw comparisons to the UK environment.

Speaker: Peter Banthorpe, RGA

Level: Prior knowledge helpful 

 

 

B4: Are we providing the most appropriate premium structure for our customers?

Level premium structures are accepted as the norm in the UK.  But in other markets yearly renewable term structures have been tried and, in some cases, continue to be more popular than level premium structures.  In this talk we consider the merits of level versus yearly renewable term structures for the customer.  We also draw on lessons from overseas markets to understand whether a yearly renewable term structure in the UK is a good idea and what the pricing and distribution implications may be.

Speakers: Roger Edwards, Bright Grey and Kal Kalsi, Gen Re

Level: No prior knowledge required

Date Details
Day two 14:35 - 15:25 Workshop session C
 

C1: Implications for the industry of the Government's White Paper on Social Care            

The Dilnot report has provided high level proposals on the future structure of long term care in the UK. This workshop will seek to provide a short summary of the report itself but with an emphasis on what these changes would potentially mean for the self-funded care sector from both a domicillary and residential care setting as well as examining what structural changes would be needed to finally open up the long term care insurance market.

Speakers: Jules Constantinou, Gen Re and Dan Read, Partnership Assurance

Level: No prior knowledge required

 

 

C2: Equality to all (and death to underwriters)       

Current EU plans to develop  an Equality Directive modelled on the Gender Directive could have huge implications for European health and protection insurers and their customers.   Using examples from a number of markets where age and health status cannot be used to determine premiums the presentation will consider:   

  • when community rating can work
  • the benefits to customers
  • the challenges for insurers
  • whether community rating could spell the end for some products
  • alternative careers for underwriters.

Speakers: Kevin Manning, Milliman and John Woodford, Munich Re

Level: No prior knowledge required 

 

 

C3: Income protection: an update on recent CMI experience plus a layman's guide to IPM 1991-98

This talk will cover:

  • CMI IP Committee activity – what has the committee been up to?
  • a layman's guide to the analysis and graduation of IP claims experience (IPM 1991-98)
  • a comparison of the IPM 1991-98 graduation of individual IP experience with other tables   
  • features of the latest individual IP experience, focusing on 2007 to 2009
  • a review of trends in individual IP experience over 1991-2009
  • CMI IP committee – future plans

Speakers: Joan Coverson, Gen Re and Neil Robjohns, Barnett Waddingham LLP

Level: Prior knowledge helpful

 

C4: How powerful are your rating factors? (A practical demonstration with GLMs)

 The dangers of a one way analysis are well understood, thereby making an understanding of the interaction between different rating factors essential.  Generalised Linear Models provide an approach where such interaction can be analysed. This session will focus on a practical demonstration of GLMs.  Keeping theory to a minimum we will consider the predictive power of different rating factors and look at the impact when key rating factors (e.g. gender) are removed from the analysis.

Speakers: Niel Daniels, Daniels Actuarial Consulting and Christopher Reynolds, PartnerRe         

Level: No prior knowledge required

Date Details
Day two 17:05 - 17:55 Workshop session D
 

D1: Update from the critical illness definitions working party Members of the critical illness definitions working party will present an update on their work looking into the risks and pricing issues associated with current ABI and newer minor illness definitions in the critical illness market. They will discuss progress on the analysis of a customised data extract from the Hospital Episode Statistics database which should allow more detailed analysis of these risks than has been possible before.  

Speakers: Members of the critical illness definitions working party

Level: Prior knowledge required

 

D2: Customer segmentation and marketing - laying the foundations for success

Marketing what's it all about and why should we bother?      

  • The basics - never forget the P's     
  • learning from everyday life     
  • global best practice and financial services

An examination of the main types of customer segmentation:

  • key uses       
  • UK and Global examples and what we learn from them      
  • What does success look like and where are the bear traps?

Speaker: Mick James, RGA

Level: No prior knowledge required

 

D3: The impact of psychosocial factors on claims outcomes in the group income protection market

This presentation will discuss a research project that is being undertaken to test a hypothesis about the contribution of specific psychosocial variables to return to work outcomes in the group income protection market. We will share the results of our initial data analysis and discuss how the findings can be used to assist insurers with claims management strategies in addition to how this might influence risk selection and inception/termination rates.

Speakers: Jen Carhart, HSBC and Karen Hunt, Swiss Re

Level: No prior knowledge required

 

D4:  Sheer heart attack: why the myocardial infarction definition is critically flawed

This talk will cover:

  • the day to day realities of managing borderline heart attack claims – weaknesses of the model ABI wording
  • underlying impact of new technology on cardiac management
  • likely future developments in heart attack diagnoses and the potential knock-on impact on critical illness experience
  • heart attack versus other borderline CI claims – which should we be paying?

Speakers: Paul Reddick, Pacific Life Re and Dr Mark Westwood, London’s Chest Hospital, St Barts and London’s NHS Trust

Level: TBC

Date Details
Day three 10:05 - 10:55 Workshop session E
 

E1: Learning from PPI - a bancassurer's journey to find a solution for customers' income protection needs

In light of the Competition Commission's ruling on payment protection insurance (PPI), HSBC needed to ensure that they could continue to meet their customer's income protection needs.  This talk will outline how the chosen product solution took into account the legislative requirements while providing cover that is simple and innovative in terms of features and sales process as well as meaningful and cost effective for the bank's customers. 

Speakers: Adele Groyer, Gen Re and Nick Reilly, HSBC Life

Level: No prior knowledge required

 

E2: Social media 101 for actuaries

  • A guide to the different social media channels
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Blogging
  • YouTube
  • Others such as Google+
  • tying it all together
  • getting training, planning and laying out guidelines
  • risks and rewards of social media use, including social media policies that are easy to adopt
  • how to use it in B2B
  • how to use it to reach customers and how to use it to help with a public outcry/communications crisis

Speaker: Mairi Mallon, rein4ce

Level: No prior knowledge required

 

E3: Effects of the ABI non-disclosure guidelines – an update from Royal London

 It has been three years since the ABI claims philosophy guidelines were introduced. The guidelines received a mixed response from the industry. This talk revisits an earlier presentation by Royal London using actual data emerging and real life case studies to gauge the impact of guidance on insurers, the industry and importantly the end customer. It will include:

  • explaining the changes in the claims process since TCF commenced in 2008  (what new classifications mean etc)
  • the nature of claims being paid
  • highlights of the change in claims stats via pre and post 2008 figures
  • revised cost to the industry

Speakers: Paul Blyth, SCOR Global Life, UK and Ken Scott, Royal London

Level: No prior knowledge required

 

 

 

E4: How to win when selling direct

Frank.net is an innovative new direct insurer that has certainly shaken things up in the South African protection market. How has putting the customer at the heart of what they do contributed to their success? This talk will consider the following:

  • the nature of the products
  • issues around advice
  • the marketing message and brand positioning
  • communicating effectively with customers
  • avoiding distribution channel conflict
  • setting yourself up for partnerships

Speakers: Lenerd Louw, Frank and Thys Nieuwoudt, Munich Re South Africa

Level: No prior knowledge required

Date Details
Day three 11:25 - 12:15 Workshop session F
 

F1: Changing the patient journey through open referrals - impact on the customer and the costs

At present the Patient's healthcare journey includes a referral by a General Practitioner to a consultant/hospital.   Harvesting the extensive database available to an insurer, this can be changed from a GP-driven referral to an insurer-driven referral. This requires objective assessment of specialists and hospitals to evaluate quality and value of providers.  Can this generate better quality health outcomes whilst at the same time reducing claims frequency and potentially cost?   This presentation will look at the environment which precipitated this intervention, the guidance principles, the impact on healthcare costs and pricing, the experience to date, and an illustrative case study.  

Speaker: Adrian Baskir, Bupa

Level: No prior knowledge required

 

 

F2: At what price 100% STP?                                     

STP rates are increasing year on year - where is this heading - 100% STP?  100% STP is possible already by rapidly increasing the declinature rate or offering less competitive pricing.

  • What impact do these approaches have on our customers?
  • Does this damage the industry's reputation?  
  • Can we get 100% STP without compromising on underwriting?
  • What reaction do we get from asking detailed medical questions of our customers and are the answers reliable?

Speakers: Andy Smith, Munich Re and speaker TBC

Level: Prior knowledge helpful

 

F3: What can the UK protection market learn from Ireland?

Although a small leap across the Irish Sea, the Irish protection dynamics are different.

  • Commission - recent developments in commission structures, why introduced, take-up to date and effects on customer retention.  
  • price matching – the benefit or otherwise that this brings to customers
  • product development – critical illness partial payment options meeting customer needs
  • underwriting – same underwriting manuals and processes but fewer rated cases, better for the customer?
  • income protection– Irish insurers better at selling this customer need, why?

Speakers: Michelle Neary, Friends First and Nick Rendle, SCOR Global Life

Level: No prior knowledge helpful

 

 

F4: Making products easy to buy through predictive techniques             

Building on work already done for life insurance products, how can predictive statistical techniques be used to:

  • make the customer journey more engaging
  • reduce the underwriting barrier to sales for health products?

Speakers: Paul Hately, Swiss Re and TBC, HSBC

Level: No prior knowledge required