Liability for Future Policy Benefits, Policyholder's Account Balances, and Deferred Acquisition Costs (Policies)

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2023

Insurance [Abstract]

Liabilities for Future Policy Benefits

Liabilities for future policy benefits represent the cost of claims that we estimate we will eventually pay to our policyholders which includes policy liabilities for claims not yet incurred and for claims that have been incurred or are estimated to have been incurred but not yet reported to us. Liabilities for future policy benefits also include the related expenses for our non interest-sensitive life and accident and health products. The liability for future policy benefits is calculated based on the present value of the estimated future policy benefits less the present value of estimated future net premiums collected. Net premiums represent the portion of the gross premium required to provide for all benefits and expenses, excluding acquisition costs or any costs that are required to be charged to expense as incurred. In calculating the liability for future policy benefits, our long-duration contracts are grouped into cohorts by product type and contract issue year.

The calculation of the liability for future policy benefits involves numerous assumptions including assumptions related to discount rate, lapses, mortality, and morbidity. The discount rate assumptions were initially set based on the expected investment yield of the assets supporting the reserves at the transition date of ASU 2018-12, which was January 1, 2021, for policies originally issued on or before the transition date. The discount rate assumptions for new cohorts established after the transition date, are initially set based on the policy issuance date or policy renewal date, and are based on an upper-medium grade fixed-income instrument, which is generally equivalent to a single-A interest rate matched to the duration of our insurance liabilities. As cohorts are grouped by product type and issue year, a weighted average discount rate is utilized as policies are issued or renewed throughout the year. We utilize a reference portfolio of fixed-income instruments that have been A-rated by one of the major credit rating agencies. For products with liability cash flows that exceed the duration of observable single-A fixed income instruments, we use the last market observable yield and use extrapolation approaches to determine yield assumptions for durations beyond the last market observable duration. For the discount rate assumptions for products in our Unum International segment, we utilize observable market data in the local debt markets in the UK and Poland.

The initial, also referred to as the original, discount rate assumptions established for each cohort are used to determine interest accretion which is reported as a component of policy benefits on the statements of income. After policy issuance or policy renewal, the discount rate assumptions are updated quarterly and used to update the liability at each reporting date to the current discount rate, with the corresponding change reflected as the change in the effect of discount rate assumptions on the liability for future policy benefits, net of reinsurance, on the statement of changes in other comprehensive income (loss). The weighted average current discount rate was 5.0 percent at June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022. The weighted average current discount rate was 4.4 percent at June 30, 2022 compared to 2.5 percent at December 31, 2021 with the increase due primarily to an increase in U.S. Treasury rates.

Policyholder lapse and mortality assumptions reflect the probability that an insureds’ coverage is discontinued due to lapsation or death of the insured. For our life insurance products, mortality assumptions also reflect the probability that a benefit payment occurs. Policyholder lapse and mortality assumptions are based on our actual historical experience adjusted for future expectations. Claim incidence and claim resolution rate assumptions related to morbidity and mortality are based on actual experience or industry standards adjusted as appropriate to reflect our actual experience and future expectations. The claim incidence rate assumption is the rate at which new claims are submitted and the development of this assumption may involve many factors, including the age of the insured, the insured's occupation or industry, the benefit plan design, and certain external factors such as consumer confidence and levels of unemployment. The claim resolution rate assumption is the probability that a claim will close due to recovery or death of the insured and is used to estimate how long benefits will be paid on an open claim. Certain product lines may utilize additional assumptions in calculating the liability for future policy benefits in addition to those listed above such as premium rate increases for long-term care, benefit offsets for long-term disability, and claim costs for voluntary benefits. Claim costs capture the combined effect of the incidence rate, the expected level of benefit to be paid, and the claim resolution rate.

Cash flow assumptions are reviewed and updated, as needed, at least annually. Assumptions may be updated more frequently if necessary based on trending experience and future expectations. On a quarterly basis, cohort level cash flow measures are updated based on the emergence of actual experience. The updated cash flows are used to determine the updated net premiums and the net premium ratio, which is the present value of benefits and related expenses divided by the present value of gross premiums. The updated net premium ratio is used to calculate the updated liability for future policy benefits as of the beginning of the year, at the original discount rate. The change in the liability for future policy benefits, at the original discount rate, as of the beginning of the year, resulting from changes in cash flow assumptions and resulting from the emergence of actual experience from expected experience, is reflected as the policy benefits - remeasurement loss (gain) in the consolidated statements of income. The impact of issuances, interest accretion, premiums collected, benefit payments and lapses are reflected as policy benefits in the consolidated statements of income.

For most products, a net premium methodology is applied to each cohort to estimate the liability for claims not yet incurred in which discounted gross benefits are compared to discounted gross premiums. In this methodology, actual experience to date is combined with projected future cash flows to determine a net premium ratio for each cohort. The future cash flows include the costs of future expected claims as well as future cash flows on claims that have already been incurred. The net premium ratio is then used to estimate the liability for future policy benefits. The liability for future policy benefits represents the present value of future claims and associated expenses less the present value of future net premiums, which is derived by multiplying the present value of future gross premium by the net premium ratio.

For our group products in the Unum US and Unum International segments, we evaluate the liability for future policy benefits required for active policies in comparison to incurred claims. Given the term nature of the products, their renewal features, and level funding nature of the premium for these products, we have determined that the liability value is generally zero for policies that are not on claim. In this situation, our liability for future policy benefit values are limited to the liability associated with claims incurred as of the valuation date.

Multiple estimation methods exist to establish liabilities for the incurred claim component of future policy benefits. Available reserving methods utilized to calculate these liabilities include the tabular reserve method, the paid loss development method, the incurred loss development method, the count and severity method, and the expected claim cost method. No single method is better than the others in all situations and for all product lines. The estimation methods we have chosen are those that we believe produce the most accurate and reliable liability.

We use a tabular reserve methodology on reported claims for our Unum US group long-term disability and individual disability claims as well as for our Closed Block long-term care claims. Under the tabular reserve methodology, the liability for reported claims is based on certain characteristics of the actual reported claimants and their related policy provisions, such as age, length of time disabled, and medical diagnosis, as well as assumptions regarding claim duration, discount rate, and policy benefit offsets. We believe the tabular reserve method is the most accurate to calculate long-term liabilities and allows us to use the most available known facts about each claim. Incurred, but not reported (IBNR) liabilities for future policy benefits for our longer-term products are calculated using the count and severity method using historical patterns of the claims to be reported and the associated claim costs. For Unum US group short-term disability products, an estimate of the value of future payments to be made on claims already submitted, as well as on IBNR claims, is determined in aggregate using a paid loss development method rather than on the individual claimant basis that we use for reported claims on longer-term products. The average length of time between the event triggering a claim under a policy and the final resolution of those claims is much shorter for these products and results in less estimation variability.

Liabilities for claims for Unum US group life and accidental death and dismemberment products are related primarily to death claims reported but not yet paid, IBNR death claims, and a liability for waiver of premium benefits in the event the policyholder becomes disabled. The death claim liability is based on the actual face amount to be paid, the IBNR liability is calculated using the count and severity method based on historical patterns of the claims, and the waiver of premium benefits liability is calculated using the tabular reserve methodology.

Liabilities for claims related to the group and individual dental and vision products reported in our Unum US and Colonial Life segments have a short claim payout period. As a result, the liabilities, which primarily represent IBNR and a small amount of claims pending payment, are calculated using the paid loss development method.

Liabilities for future policy benefits supporting the group products within our Unum International segment are calculated using generally the same methodology that we use for Unum US group disability and group life liabilities. Liabilities for future policy benefits for our Unum UK group life dependent product, which provides an annuity to the beneficiary upon the death of an employee, are calculated using discounted cash flows, based on our assumptions for claim duration and discount rates. The assumptions used in calculating liabilities for future policy benefits for this segment are based on standard country-specific industry experience, adjusted for our own experience.

Certain products in the Colonial Life segment and the Unum US voluntary benefits product line have shorter-term benefits, which generally have less estimation variability than our longer-term products because of the shorter claim payout period. Our liabilities for future policy benefits for these lines of business are predominantly determined using the incurred loss development method based on our own experience. The incurred loss development method uses the historical patterns of payments by loss date to predict future claim payments for each loss date. Where the incurred loss development method may not be appropriate, we estimate the incurred claims using an expected claim cost per policy or other measure of exposure.