IAA Participates in Joint Discussion Forum with World Health Organization

A delegation of senior IAA representatives engaged in a joint discussion forum with senior representatives from the World Health Organization (WHO) on October 21, 2013. The forum, which took place at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, represents a significant step towards raising the profile of actuaries in the areas of health and microinsurance.

The agenda included the following topics:

• Actuaries’ roles in different types of healthcare systems worldwide;
• Drivers of health inflation;
• Health microinsurance issues; and
• Discussion on scope for further cooperation between the WHO and IAA.

Emile Stipp, Chairperson of the newly created IAA Health Committee presented on the role of actuaries in health systems. An overview of health microinsurance was given by Denis Garand, member of the IAA Microinsurance Working Group.

Discussion followed on various trends in health insurance with reference to medical inflation and some possible solutions, such as wellness and prevention programmes. In-depth discussion also took place on health microinsurance and the role it can play in supporting the quest for universal coverage.

The forum provided an opportunity to identify several areas of mutual interest. In concluding, both organizations agreed that this exchange had been valuable and agreed to investigate methods of future collaboration.

This activity represents a continuation of the IAA's strategic outreach activities to establish, maintain and extend cooperative relationships with supranational organizations and to provide them with actuarial input to improve the soundness of decisions being made on important issues with a global impact.

To learn more about the work of the IAA in this area, please contact the Secretariat, care of the Chairperson of the Supranational Relations Committee.