So what do you do?

[ntcounts]

So let's get to know each other and maybe when we're donewe can sing a rousing rendition of kum by ya (sp.?)

I was just kind of curious and thought of setting up a poll, but wasn't sure the best way to delineate things, but I was just curious what type of work you all do on a day to day basis.

I work for a consulting firm and typically do a lot of FAS 106 valuation work and do a lot of pricing work to determine FAS 106 type impacts on proposed health benefit changes for clients. I have no experience in rate setting and have really no experience in claims analysis.

So what do you all do?

[Bühlmann]

I do pricing for Medicare Advantage plans (individual side) at a large insurance company. I've been in health for two years. I spent two years in life insurance before making the move.

[ntcounts]

Buhlmann, since it sounds you and 15 of your closest friends / coworkers are taking this too do you think its fair to say there would be a lot more "insurance" type folks taking this exam than "consulting?"

Initially that was gonna be the poll I would have set up (insurance v. consulting), but wasn't sure if the groups would be too limiting and then the follow up to that would be more detail about what you do at said company so i just skipped to the end game.

[Bühlmann]

Buhlmann, since it sounds you and 15 of your closest friends / coworkers are taking this too do you think its fair to say there would be a lot more "insurance" type folks taking this exam than "consulting?"


Not necessarily. Many of us are taking this exam because my company happens to be quite large. In contrast, we are not required to get our FSA designation. It seems that the health practice area has a pretty high tolerance of people stopping at ASA.

I do hear though that exams tend to be less of a priority at consulting firms than insurance companies. This is the case for the few people I actually know at consulting firms. But overall, perhaps this is just a myth.

Health care is so broad and that's what will make our exam difficult. You and I come from such different vantage points in Medicare pricing vs. FAS 106. Right now I'm reading the flexible benefit program stuff in the Canadian Handbook. Not even close to what I do! A friend of mine on here asked me the other day if I was taking the "Group DP" exam. That sounded funny to me because I do very little with group, but it is a major part of this exam.

[Mare15]

I work for a health insurance company. I was in Network Evaluation for a few years and now I do reserving for the company.

And, my company requires that we go for our FSA's, so maybe our company is one of those in the minority. Oh joy, oh joy.

[saahu5]

I work for an insurance company doing valuation work for our Stop Loss products and a couple of our Life products.

[Sweet Pea 11]

I work for a small insurance company, on the non-commercial side. I mainly do reserves. I do a little work with the Medicare bids as well as group Medicare pricing.

[biglion8]

I work for a large insurance company doing valuation for mostly life products. Thought my group health u/w experience with another company may help me in the FSA exams, guess it did help a little in CSP. We are required to continue to take exams.

[JMCOOP]

I work in small insurance company - predominantly commercial business. We have no Medicare or Managed Care - so those are foreign worlds to me. I can relate to a lot of the group insurance book though.

[radix]

Health Care at a Big Four, mostly reserving/valuation. I worked with ntcounts during my last internship, very helpful guy.

[Guy Smiley]

Individual health insurance here. I think it is expected that we go for FSA. I don't know if anything bad would really happen if I didn't, but I want to anyway, so...

[Sgractuarius]

Consulting company. Doing a lot of pricing, reserves, and claim analysis. Even dabble in some CCRC work.

[KnightsPG]

Consulting company. Doing a lot of pricing, reserves, and claim analysis. Even dabble in some CCRC work.

Ditto, minus the CCRC

[cincinnatikid]

Insurance company, dabbling in a little bit of everything on the Medical side: Pricing, Valuation, Forecasting, Trend Analysis

[Tebus]

I work in a large insurance company mostly on Medicare Advantage. Most of my work involves pricing, but I also have done some forecasting and reserving.

The company I work for strongly encourages its actuaries to get their FSAs.

[wgcdre]

Out of college for 4 years, been working on Medicare Part D. Pricing, budgeting, trends, forecasting, reserving. The company doesn't really care whether or not the analysts attain their ASA or FSA. (i.e. ended up taking FAP exam 1 at my cubicle)

There's an exam program but so far I feel like I've been cheated out of all my study hours, so we might as well not even have one. I'm still determined for the sake of my career, but it's been a steep climb. One FA away from ASA.

[iamhappyincanada]

I have been in Med-sup claim analysis for half a year. My previous experience include small group pricing, factor analysis and database construction.
I will get my ASA in July 07.
Nice to meet you guys.

[markov]

I am working in Group Life and Disability pricing at a mid-size insurance company. Just passed the FA and am contemplating the humongous amount of Group Health DP reading we have. This will be my first "written exam" too so I'm wondering what to expect. I worked for a year in pensions but didn't care for it much.

Is anyone here planning on going to the TIA seminar in Connecticut (or any other one)?

[Bühlmann]

A bunch of us I work with are going to the Chicago seminar. It seems to be filling up too.

[radix]

A bunch of us I work with are going to the Chicago seminar. It seems to be filling up too.

I am going to the Chicago one

[HangerAngler]

I cook for an eccentric art dealer/arms trader with a limp, one green eye, and one blue eye. He loves hot dogs with a variety of toppings, including ketchup, onions, raspberry preserves, and lemongrass. My evenings are free to spend perusing the paperbacks in the basement book stores and tasting malt liquor and fortified wines at the nearby delicatessen. I visit the mountains annually and live on cranberries for a week while I am there. On some weekends I compete in stationary cycling and squat thrust biathlons, besting most others in the 4-country area.

[MarsLasar]

I cook for an eccentric art dealer/arms trader with a limp, one green eye, and one blue eye. He loves hot dogs with a variety of toppings, including ketchup, onions, raspberry preserves, and lemongrass. My evenings are free to spend perusing the paperbacks in the basement book stores and tasting malt liquor and fortified wines at the nearby delicatessen. I visit the mountains annually and live on cranberries for a week while I am there. On some weekends I compete in stationary cycling and squat thrust biathlons, besting most others in the 4-country area.

Wow... I can't believe you drink fortified wine.

[JMCOOP]

I cook for an eccentric art dealer/arms trader with a limp, one green eye, and one blue eye. He loves hot dogs with a variety of toppings, including ketchup, onions, raspberry preserves, and lemongrass. My evenings are free to spend perusing the paperbacks in the basement book stores and tasting malt liquor and fortified wines at the nearby delicatessen. I visit the mountains annually and live on cranberries for a week while I am there. On some weekends I compete in stationary cycling and squat thrust biathlons, besting most others in the 4-country area.

But do you play god like and sensuous trombone music?

[ntcounts]

I cook for an eccentric art dealer/arms trader with a limp, one green eye, and one blue eye. He loves hot dogs with a variety of toppings, including ketchup, onions, raspberry preserves, and lemongrass. My evenings are free to spend perusing the paperbacks in the basement book stores and tasting malt liquor and fortified wines at the nearby delicatessen. I visit the mountains annually and live on cranberries for a week while I am there. On some weekends I compete in stationary cycling and squat thrust biathlons, besting most others in the 4-country area.

I think you left off trolling the AO... but maybe you can give us that hot dog recipe in time for july 4th and I can eat it while watching the comp for the Yellow Mustard Belt Title in Coney Island