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2022 CDS: CLIMBING TO NEW HEIGHTS

General Sessions: The general sessions give attendees an opportunity to hear about a broad range of importation issues and to recognize our member's achievements over the last year. The general sessions are eligible for continuing education credit under the NICE program.

 

Breakout Sessions: Besides general sessions, the CDS has concurrent breakout sessions that are planned and hosted by our six IRES Sections:

  • Financial Track

  • Health Track

  • Information Technology (IT) Track

  • Life & Annuity Track

  • Market Regulation Track

  • Property & Casualty Track

 

You are free to pick and choose the sessions you wish to attend, whether you prefer to attend all the sessions sponsored by the same section or to move from one to another. Breakout sessions are eligible for continuing education credit under the NICE program.

Pricing

Become an IRES Member

Full Registration Without Membership Discount: $1,025

  • General IRES Members: $525

    • $500 discount

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  • Sustaining Members: $725

    • $300 discount

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  • Regulators (Non-IRES Members): $595

    • $430 discount​​

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  • Guest Passes are available for $75 (access to Sunday & Tuesday reception, continental breakfast & lunch on Monday & Tuesday)

2022 CDS APP

This year we will be using Guidebook as the 2022 CDS mobile app. Please click below for directions on how to download the app to your phone and/or tablet. Please download the app before you arrive,

WANT TO BECOME A SPONSOR?

The CDS offers an effective way to reach a highly targeted audience. By becoming a sponsor of the 2022 CDS, you can build brand awareness and generate unique revenue opportunities for your business. With five levels of sponsorship and two a-la-carte opportunities, the packages are designed to meet a variety of needs.

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If you have any questions, please feel free to contact IRES office at 708-820-8112.

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FAQ

FULL 2022 CDS AGENDA

Day 1: Sunday, Aug 28

8:30am - 10:00am: IRES Past Presidents' Breakfast

12:00pm - 1:00pm: IRES Executive Committee Meeting

1:30pm - 2:30pm: CDS Section Chairs & Co-Chairs Meeting

2:00pm - 3:00pm: IRES State Chairs Meeting

2:00pm - 6:00pm: Registration Open

3:00pm - 5:00pm: IRES Board of Directors Meeting

6:00pm - 8:00pm: Welcome Reception

Day 2: Monday, Aug 29

7:00am - 5:00pm: Registration Open

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7:30am - 8:30am: Breakfast

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8:30am - 9:45am: Welcome & Keynote Speaker

Speaker: Commissioner Michael Conway

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9:45am - 10:00am: AM Break

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10:00am - 10:55am: Breakout Session 1

  • Financial Track: COVID-19 - What is Next?

    • Speaker: Steve​ Hazelbaker & Don Carbone

    • Description: A session that aims to provide insight into the following questions as it relates to the insurance regulatory process: 1) Where we have gone, where we are now, and what is next? 2) As we start to head back to a pre-pandemic "normal" (i.e., travel restrictions lifted, offices are opening back up, etc.), what changes made to the exam process during the pandemic are going to stick?

  • Health Track: Structural Racism, Big Data,& Health Insurance

    • Speaker:​ Birny Birnbaum

    • Description: Following the murder of George Floyd, insurance companies and regulators joined others in calling for efforts to address structural racism in insurance. The session will explain what is meant by structural racism and provide examples of how it impacts health outcomes of communities of color. The session will also explain how to identify and minimize such impacts.

  • IT Track: Data Analysis

    • Speaker:​ Steven Sigler

    • Description: An introduction to the basics of data and data analysis that will include the use of ACL.

  • Life & Annuity Track: Insurance Beneficiaries

    • Speaker:​ Susan Zwaschka & Jennifer Stephen​

    • Description: This session will cover the timely payment of insurance proceeds to beneficiaries. Review legislation concerning the use of the Social Security Administration’s Death Master File.

  • Market Regulation Track: How to Conduct a MHPAEA Comparative Analysis Review

    • Speaker:​ Cynthia Fitzgerald, Tim Clement, Caroline Bergh, & Whitney Ederer 

    • Description: We will start with the fundamentals, then walk through a comparative analysis review, and end with a discussion of misconceptions, exceptions, and best practices. The goal of this session is to give you some tools to work through MHPAEA NQTL comparative analysis reviews.

  • Property & Casualty Track: Workers Compensation - Advisory Organization-NCCI

    • Speaker: Carla Townsend

    • Description: An overview of NCCI’s role, including services provided and regulatory activity interactions.

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11:00am - 11:55am: Breakout Session 2

  • Financial Track: Investments - Current Trends in the Market

    • Speaker: Joseph R. May

    • Description: This session aims to provide insight into the current trends investment specialists are seeing in the insurance market and how rising interest rates will impact insurers.

  • Health Track: The Evolving World of PBM Regulation - A two-part series on the Past, Present & Future Part I: The Road to Creating Uniform PBM Standards

    • Speaker:​ Kelli Price, Jo-Anne Arrowood, & Sean Betta

    • Description: The various roads being built to regulate PBMs in the marketplace and comparing common PBM legislative elements.

  • IT Track: Blockchain

    • Speaker:​ Jeff Braswell​

    • Description: Open Source project utilizing blockchain for insurance applications

  • Life & Annuity Track: Accelerated Underwriting – Use of External Data & Data Analytics

    • Speaker:​ Jason Lapham​, Cara St. Martin, & Fred Karlinsky

    • Description: This session will explore the current state of the life insurance industry's use of accelerated underwriting, recent changes/updates, NAIC discussions, and regulatory impact.

  • Market Regulation Track: Impacts of Structural Racism in Insurance.

    • Speaker:​ Birny Birnbaum

    • Description: The session will explain what is meant by structural racism and provide examples of how it impacts communities of color. The session will also explain how to identify and minimize such impacts.

  • Property & Casualty Track: Private Passenger Auto & Homeowners Insurance: Hot Topics

    • Speaker:​ Dudley Ewen IV​

    • Description: Auto Insurance and how technology has created challenges for insurance companies from a severity standpoint, and the potential impact on auto premiums

 

12:00pm - 1:15pm: Networking Lunch & Awards

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1:30pm - 2:25pm: Breakout Session 3

  • Financial Track: Mergers and Acquisitions

    • Speaker: Joseph R. May

    • Description: This session will focus on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on insurance mergers and acquisitions, as well as current or expected trends in the market as we start shifting toward a post-pandemic "normal."

  • Health Track: Medical Coding & Billing for Health Exams

    • Speaker:​ Marc Springer & Liz Harvey

    • Description: This session will cover what one will see when reviewing medical claims. This is a high-level overview regarding the bill types and common coding used by all health carriers in the processing and payment of medical claims that is reviewed during the examination process.

  • IT and Property & Casualty Track: Artificial Intelligence

    • Speaker:​ James Spears & Tony Taylor, & Odum Wu

    • Description: Discussions surrounding claims handling through AI Technology

  • Life & Annuity Track: Life Insurance & Annuity Suitability

    • Speaker:​ Scott Woods, Nick Mann​, & Birny Birnbaum​

    • Description: This session will explore suitability legislation for the protection of consumers. Examine various standards of suitability such as “Best Interest” and “Fiduciary”. The NAIC Model Law #275 now requires agents and carriers to act with “reasonable diligence, care, and skill” in making recommendations.

  • Market Regulation Track: The Evolving World of PBM Regulation - A two-part series on the Past, Present, and Future Part II: PBM Case Law, Enforcement & Pitfalls

    • Speaker:​ Jo Arrowood, Sean Betta, & Kelli Price​

    • Description: A discussion of legal precedence, enacted legislation, common standards/laws, and pitfalls to watch for when creating PBM legislation.

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2:25pm - 2:45pm: PM Break

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2:45pm - 3:40pm: Breakout Session 4

  • Financial / IT Track Joint Session: IT Planning Questionnaire

    • Speaker​s: Steven Sigler​ & James Gowins

    • Description: The Information Technology Planning Questionnaire (ITPQ) is a useful tool to gain a basic understanding of the overarching governance, controls and operations within an entity's IT function.

  • Health Track: MHPAEA Updates: State and Federal Levels, Tri-Agency Reviews & the New BHPA Designation Program

    • Speaker:​ Shelly Shuman​ & Tim Clement

    • Description: Various state and federal mental health parity updates will be discussed during this session. The 2022 MHPAEA Report to Congress will also be discussed including the results of recent reviews focused on determining health carriers compliance with the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. We will also discuss the new MHPAEA designation program.

  • Life & Annuity Track: Life Insurance & Annuity Replacements

    • Speaker:​ Jennifer Hopper​ & Cara St. Martin

    • Description: This session will explore which products are subject to replacement laws and products that are exempt.

  • Market Regulation Track: What Happens When a Company Goes Into Rehabilitation or Receivership?

    • Speaker:​ Bob McManus & Jolene Nansel

    • Description: This session will provide an overview of what signs to look for when a company may be a "Troubled Company" and the steps to take once a company is confirmed to be a "Troubled Company."

  • Property & Casualty Track: Auto Physical Damage (APD) Claim Handling Tools

    • Speaker:​ David Davoodi​

    • Description: Latest in APD claim handling tools, including AI and machine learning. 

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3:45pm - 4:45pm: Breakout Session 5

  • Financial Track: Testing for Accuracy & Completeness of Reserve Data

    • Speaker​: Joseph R. May

    • Description: This session will provide insight into best practices for testing accuracy and completeness of reserve data.

  • Health Track: Network Adequacy in Healthcare & How Carriers are Addressing Network Gaps

    • Speaker:​ Tanya Sherman​

    • Description: This session will provide an overview of one of the hot topics in health exams and what it means to have an adequate network. Including what ACA requires health plans participating in Qualified Health Plans (QHPs) in the Marketplaces meet network adequacy standards and tools used to review these standards.

  • IT Track: Internet of Things

    • Speaker:​ Tony Taylor

    • Description: An exploration of the Internet of Things (IoT) including its purpose, devices, standards, advantages, and disadvantages.

  • Life & Annuity Track: Life Insurance & Annuity Hot Topics

    • Speaker:​ Scott Woods & Nick Mann, & Paige Waters​

    • Description: This session will explore multiple hot topics in today's life insurance/annuity industry, including: a. Third-Party Supervision (Broker-Dealers) b. Insurance Fraud c. Market Conduct Examination Efficiencies d. Life Insurance Illustrations.

  • Market Regulation Track: Pharmacy Regulatory Compliance - Case Study

    • Speaker:​ Dr. Larry Cohen & Kirk Stephans

    • Description: Hear a sample case with clinical and operational focus, including what may happen from a member/ consumer’s perspective. Issues seen during actual cases will be identified and audience engagement in discussing the concerns will be encouraged.

  • Property & Casualty Track: Travel Insurance

    • Speakers: Duke DeHas-Allianz and Randy Helder 

    • Description: Discuss the ins and outs of travel insurance. Randy will discuss the new MCAS line.

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5:00pm - 6:00pm: New Designee Reception (By Invite Only)

Day 3: Tuesday, Aug 30

7:00am - 3:00pm: Registration Open

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7:30am - 8:30am: Breakfast

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8:30am - 10:45am: Commissioners Roundtable

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10:45am - 11:00am: AM Break

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11:00am - 11:55am: Breakout Session 6

  • Financial Track: What is an Ineffective Control Environment & How Does it Affect Your Examination?

    • Speaker​: Natalie Howe

    • Description: Key attributes will be discussed relating to existence of a sufficient ERM environment/program, Board oversight and control identification and testing. 

  • Health Track: NAIC Working Group Updates Including Recent Updates to the Health Section of the Market Regulation Handbook

    • Speaker:​ Tim Clement​

    • Description: The NAIC Working Groups meet on a regular basis throughout the year and the B Committee addresses health insurance and managed care. This session will focus on the recent health discussions and updates. The discussion will also cover the recent updates to the health section of the NAIC Market Regulation Handbook.

  • IT Track: Network Adequacy

    • Speaker:​ Tanya Sherman​

    • Description: An overview of potential software used in determining Network Adequacy.

  • Life & Annuity Track: MCAS Changes/Updates

    • Speaker:​ Randy Helder & Jennifer Stephen​

    • Description: This session will explore recent changes that have been made and potential future changes under discussion.

  • Market Regulation Track: How Hurricanes & Other Natural Disasters Can Affect the Homeowner Insurance Marketplace

    • Speaker:​ Bob McManus & Lisa Fullington​

    • Description: The homeowners insurance market has been greatly affected by hurricanes and other natural disasters. This session will dive into how the marketplace is changing and what regulators are doing as a result.

  • Property & Casualty Track: Catastrophic Loss

    • Speaker: Kent Dover & Stephanie Brown

    • Description: This session will explore the different types of catastrophes, including hurricanes, wildfires, and climate change and how they effect the economy, insurers and regulators. Tips on emergency planning, loss control and costs management will also be provided.

 

12:00pm - 1:00pm: Networking Lunch & Awards

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1:00pm - 1:55pm: Breakout Session 7

  • Financial Track: NAIC Accreditation & Financial Condition Examiners Handbook Updates

    • Speaker​: Phil Talerico, BakerTilly & Kyra Brown

    • Description: This session will provide an update on accreditation trends, updates, and best practices.

  • Health Track: Current Healthcare Hot Topics: Improving Equity in Health Insurance in Colorado, PART 1: Expanding Medicaid, CHIP, and subsidized private coverage to undocumented Coloradans; Fixing the family glitch; Standardized plans; Special Enrollment Periods; and EHB benchmarks.

    • Speaker:​ Erin Miller, Rayna Hetlage, & Isabel Cruz

    • Description: Although these topics will be discussed from a Colorado perspective, the same issues exist in most states. Come and hear what Colorado is doing to address these issues and see how these solutions may be applicable to your states. These topics will be discussed over two sessions and the speakers encourage an open dialogue with the audience.

  • Life & Annuity & IT Track: New Technology & Impact on Life & Annuity Insurance

    • Speaker:​ James Gowins​ & Cara St. Martin

    • Description: This session will explore new technology and its impact on life/annuity insurance. Topics covered include exploring the growing InsurTech industry and the use of artificial intelligence in the L&A industry.

  • Market Regulation Track: How the Use of Credit Scoring by Carriers is Being Changed by Regulators

    • Speaker:​ Birny Birnbaum

    • Description: Insurance companies have used credit scoring when issuing and renewing policies for many years but regulators are making changes regarding how it can be used. This session will dive into those changes and how it is affecting consumers.

  • Property & Casualty Track: Inland Marine

    • Speaker:​ Kent Dover & Stephanie Brown

    • Description: This session will define Inland Marine insurance and what is typically covered under Inland Marine insurance.

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2:00pm - 2:55pm: Breakout Session 8

  • Financial Track: Reinsurance 101 (including statutory compliance): Types, Purposes, & Accounting; Risk Transfer Red Flags

    • Speaker​: Don Carbone & Daniel Mathis

    • Description: This session will cover a high-level description of types of reinsurance, statutory compliance, appropriate uses of reinsurance, accounting, and risk transfer review.

  • Health Track: Current Healthcare Hot Topics: Improving Equity in Health Insurance in Colorado, Continued, PART 2

  • IT Track: Cybersecurity

    • Speaker​: Steven Sigler & James Gowins​

    • Description: Are we safe with all this technology? We will talk about the IT security concerns we need to be aware of as examiners, in our work, and in our personal lives.

  • Life & Annuity Track: LTC Products Updates/Changes

    • Speaker:​ Birny Birnbaum

    • Description: This session will explore the current status of the LTC market (stand-alone and hybrid products), updates/changes to the products, the current status of rates, and where the market is heading in the future.

  • Market Regulation Track: How to Conduct a MHPAEA Comparative Analysis Review

    • Speaker:​ Cynthia Fitzgerald, Tim Clement, Caroline Bergh, & Whitney Ederer 

    • Description: We will start with the fundamentals, then walk through a comparative analysis review, and end with a discussion of misconceptions, exceptions, and best practices. The goal of this session is to give you some tools to work through MHPAEA NQTL comparative analysis reviews.

  • Property & Casualty Track: Workers Compensation - Fraud/Claims

    • Speaker:​ George Kalargyros and Shelly Schuman

    • Description: The session will be broad and cover a variety of product lines, areas of testing for fraud-related concerns, and what to look for in a company’s data as a starting point.

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3:00pm - 3:30pm: Certificate Check-In

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3:15pm - 4:30pm: I·RES Crowd·sourc·ing
/ˈahy-ris kroudˌsôrsiNG/
noun
1.the practice of obtaining input into how to best improve the IRES organization; encourage participation at future CDS’s; and attract younger and more diverse individuals to the exciting world of market regulation.


"IRES Crowdsourcing is the best way for an organization to obtain much needed information by allowing each participate to share their thoughts and experiences.”

 

Help us brainstorm recommendations for the improvement of the IRES organization, future CDS’s; and ways to attract new, diverse individuals to the insurance industry and market regulation.

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4:00pm - 5:00pm: IRES Board of Directors Meeting

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5:00pm - 6:00pm: IRES Executive Committee Meeting

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6:00pm - 8:00pm: Appreciation Reception

Day 4: Wednesday, Aug 31

8:30am - 11:45am: Basic Excel

Description: Improves basic Excel skills. Please bring your laptop or other device that has Excel access and plan to learn some things you didn’t know, be reminded about things you forgot and reinforce what you already understand about Excel.

Instructor: Tony Taylor

8:30am - 11:45am: ACL Skills Training

Description: ACL Bootcamp - This intensive, hand's-on session is specifically designed for those new to ACL or who need a refresher of the basics. The NAIC's Frances Stuart, Manager III, Education and Training, will conduct this in-depth training. At the end of the morning, participants will be able to (1) import/export data; (2) conduct random sampling; (3) join data; (4) create extracts of data; and (5) use filters. Since all participants will be required to download data to be used with ACL prior to the CDS Session, all participants will be required to participate in a Pre-Session Zoom call approximately two weeks prior to the CDS. The Zoom call will include instructions on where to obtain the needed data. However, all participants will need ACL 15.1 or higher downloaded and activated on their computer prior to the Pre-Session Zoom call. In addition to your laptop, with the preinstalled program and data, don't forget your computer's power cord. Please note that since Wi-Fi access may not be available in the training room, you may have difficulties if you access ACL through a virtual desktop. For a successful session, candidates should plan ahead and come prepared. Registration is required by August 19, 2022.

Instructor: Frances Stuart, Manager III, Education & Training, NAIC

Full Agenda
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