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Organization, Consolidation, Basis of Presentation, Business Description and Accounting Policies [Text Block]: Unpaid Policy Claims and Claims Adjustment Expense, Policy (Policies)
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2018
Policies  
Unpaid Policy Claims and Claims Adjustment Expense, Policy All of the Company’s short-duration contracts are generated from its accident, health, disability and pet insurance business, and are accounted for based on actuarial estimates of the amount of loss inherent in that period’s claims, including losses incurred for which claims have not been reported. Short-duration Policy benefits and claims for the Company’s group disability products are developed using actuarial principles and assumptions that consider, among other things, future offsets and recoveries,

elimination periods, interest rates, probability of rehabilitation or mortality, incidence and termination rates based on the Company’s experience.  The liability for policy benefits and claims is made up of case reserves, IBNR and reopen reserves and Loss Adjustment Expenses (“LAE”).  IBNR and reopen reserves are calculated by a hind-sight study, which takes historical experience and develops the reserve as a percentage of premiums from prior years.  

 

The two “primary” assumptions on which group disability reserves are based are: (i) morbidity levels; and (ii) recovery rates. If morbidity levels increase, for example due to an epidemic or a recessionary environment, the Company would increase reserves because there would be more new claims than expected.  In regard to the assumed recovery rate, if disabled lives recover more quickly than anticipated then the existing claims reserves would be reduced; if less quickly, the existing claims reserves would be increased.

 

Due to the long-term nature of LTD, in establishing the liability for policy benefits and claims, the Company must make estimates for case reserves, IBNR, and reserves for LAE.  Case reserves generally equal the actuarial present value of the liability for future benefits to be paid on claims incurred as of the balance sheet date. The IBNR reserve is established based upon historical trends of existing incurred claims that were reported after the balance sheet date. The LAE reserve is calculated based on an actuarial expense study. There have been no significant changes to methodologies and assumptions from the prior year.