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Abolish Retirement Schemes, or Not: A Debate published in The Economist

Excerpt: The Economist online today called for abolishing current retirement schemes and starting over. In support, George Magnus argued that current schemes are unsustainable. Opposing, Christian Weller contended that the current system can be put right if we have the will to do it.

American Academy of Actuaries' Letter to the Economist on Two Recent Pension Articles (PDF)

1 page. Excerpt: Two articles on pension accounting in your Oct. 28 edition may have left your readers with the wrong understanding of the role of actuaries in the U.S. In the article 'Time to End a Scandal,' it was written that, 'by the stroke of an actuary's pen a company can make heroic assumptions about the returns its pension assets will earn...' In the U.S., the assumptions used by a company for its financial statements are strictly the responsibility of company management.

Private Health Insurance Around the World May Be Making Health Care Problems Worse, According to Economist Article

Excerpt: The Economist [says]: 'Governments want to spur private insurance in the hope of solving three big problems bedevilling their national systems of health care: inadequate access to care; soaring costs; and a paucity of innovation.' The goal is to 'improve their citizens' health without draining more public finances. 'The evidence so far suggests that relying on private insurance may help in some respects. But it will not solve all these problems, and may even be making some of them worse'[.]

The Plan to Save Early Retirement - Economist Teresa Ghilarducci Argues We Needn't Be Chained to Our Desks Forever

Excerpt: Teresa Ghilarducci isn't one for conventional wisdom. In her upcoming book, 'When I'm Sixty-Four: The Plot Against Pensions and the Plan to Save Them,' the New School University economist argues that a rich nation ought to be able to ensure a secure old age. And she has a radical proposal for making that happen.

Economist's View: The 'Fair Share for Health Care Act' and New York's Labor Market

Excerpt: I describe the major legislative provisions of the health insurance mandate, along with the likely economic impact.... Next, I document current health insurance arrangements in New York.... Lastly, I assess the possible labor market adjustments.

Choosing a Health Plan Is Hard, Even for a Health Economist

"Already, the lack of price transparency is enough to make a health economist despair. But it gets worse. Some aspects of plan quality are available to most consumers, like consumers' ratings of customer service and how well doctors in each plan communicate with their patients. But a crucial feature of health plans is not as easily or widely accessible: the extent to which each covers services provided by one's favorite doctors and hospitals."

White House Blasts Obama-Appointed Republican Health Care Economist

"The White House has unleashed a torrent of criticism on a leading conservative economist -- approved by President Obama in 2010 as a Republican trustee overseeing Medicare and Social Security finances -- for concluding in a new study that the Affordable Care Act will add to the deficit instead of reduce it."

Private Accounts Questioned: Paper by Economist Robert J. Shiller Challenges Expected Benefits

Excerpt: Nearly three-quarters of workers who opt for Social Security personal accounts under President Bush's 'default' investment option are likely to earn less in benefits than those who stay with the traditional Social Security system, a prominent finance economist has concluded.

Lifetime Income for Women: A Financial Economist's Perspective (PDF)

17 pages. Excerpt: Five forces are converging upon Americans today in what some have called the Perfect Storm and it is about to engulf us from all sides. The situation is particularly precarious for women, as I will demonstrate shortly, and there isn't anything we can do to stop these converging forces. The best we can do is to organize our own finances in such a way that we can provide for ourselves and our families.

A Carrier's Economist's Take on the ACA

"Between 2010 and the actual ACA launch, [one Blue Cross plan] spent over $100,000,000 in new spending just on compliance work and building the systems to allow us to participate. This is money that could have bought actual health care. Pre-ACA we served an individual market with the following characteristics: 125,000 people, Average age 36 years, 51% female ... Fast forward to 2017: 165,000 people, Average age 46 years old [... 30% increase; older,sicker], 58% female [... more expensive claims] ... Only 40% of policyholders keep their plan for 12 premium payments in a row."