Basic tenets of the U.S. healthcare system are often misunderstood abroad, especially in countries that have extensive social security systems in place. Here is what they are and why they came to be.

Swedish alternative investments firm EQT in May 2017 sold Bureau van Dijk to Moody’s for EUR 3.0 billion. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2017. Bureau van Dijk, with headquarters in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, captures, processes, standardizes, and distributes a dataset about private companies around the world, with coverage of more than 220 million companies. It aggregates approximately 160 different information sources. EQT had

Marco Giacomelli Global Benefits Vision: Let’s start by recalling the highlights of your career, with an emphasis on iPMI and global employee benefits. Marco Giacomelli: I’ve worked with Generali for the past 23 years on a number of assignments in the United States, Latin America, Asia, and Europe—now London. I have mainly focused on life, health, employee benefits, and now iPMI, with a few forays into bancassurance and other

Interview Marco Giacomelli, CEO Generali Global Health How to transfer personal data from the European Union to the United States Nathalie Deviller The most important thing you’re not discussing with your doctor Melissa Armstrong How did health insurance get so complicated in the U.S. JB Silvers Pre-existing conditions and the health care vote Simon Haeder Why the U.S. does not have universal health care Timothy Callaghan

Adults in many countries around the world display low levels of financial knowledge according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Their December 2016 study, entitled the OECD/INFE International Survey of Adult Financial Literacy Competencies , reveals that besides low levels of knowledge, adults fail to engage in financial behaviors that could result in improved financial security, nor do they have financial attitudes oriented toward the long

Today’s global workforce is caught between a rock and a hard place when it comes to data security, according to the Dell End-User Security Survey, commissioned by Dell and conducted by Dimensional Research. The rock: be productive and efficient on the job. The hard place: maintain the security of company data. At issue is employee sharing of confidential information without having proper data security protocols in place. The survey

Aon Benfield, the global reinsurance intermediary and capital advisor of Aon plc, in May 2017 announced the launch of its PathWise Solutions Group business solutions package, bringing the integrated enterprise High Performance Computing (HPC) business platform within compliance for IFRS 17 standards for insurance contracts. This standard requires companies to significantly enhance their valuation systems and processes; specifically in areas such as data management, model management, and computational power

Todd R. Miller in May 2017 was appointed as CEO of Risk International, a U.S.-based risk and benefits management firm, effective July 1. Miller has served as the company’s president since 2016 and will continue in this role. He replaces Michael Davis, who has been the company’s CEO since 2009  and remains with the company as its vice chairman, largely focused on business development. Miller joined the company in

Interview Marco Giacomelli, CEO Generali Global Health How to transfer personal data from the European Union to the United States Nathalie Deviller The most important thing you’re not discussing with your doctor Melissa Armstrong How did health insurance get so complicated in the U.S. JB Silvers Pre-existing conditions and the health care vote Simon Haeder Why the U.S. does not have universal health care Timothy Callaghan

Management consulting firm Frost & Sullivan in April 2017 announced findings by its Transformational Health team that suggest that analytics adoption among U.S. healthcare payers and providers is not consistent, and that some health systems might utilize advanced enterprise data processing architecture to derive patient-specific insight for every episode of care. Healthcare analytics is widely considered as the key enabler of value-based care, and robust use of analytics allows

Actuarial firm Milliman in March 2017 released its annual report on the U.S. commercial health insurance market’s financial results . Based on medical loss ratio data submitted in 2016 to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the report provides a clear picture of health insurers’ financial experiences in each year, and provides a final accounting of insurers’ financial results after “3R” transfer payments have been completed. The report

CSA Travel Protection, a travel insurance provider, in May 2017 began rebranding to Generali Global Assistance as part of a wider program to rebrand several Europ Assistance business lines in the United States to Generali Global Assistance (GGA). Products and solutions carrying the CSA Travel Protection name will transition over time, while retaining and enhancing offerings and services to customers. As GGA, they will be able to offer a

Theo Lutgendorff in April 2017 joined Aon Benfield’s Amsterdam, The Netherlands, team for the Life, Accident, Health and Income lines. He works with insurers and pension funds in the Netherlands and Scandinavia, with a specific focus on the development of large accounts for traditional and Solvency II – related reinsurance solutions. The Amsterdam office of Aon Benfield, Aon’s reinsurance unit, now employs 28 professionals with a variety of specializations

One out of every six companies allows its travelers to stay at home-sharing properties such as AirBnB, reports a new study by the GBTA Foundation, the research and education arm of the Global Business Travel Association—but more than twice that number are under the impression that it is okay to do so. That means many travelers are booking and staying in properties unsupported by their travel policy—a serious duty

Lemonade, the New York City-based insurtech company in April 2017 announced a strategic investment by Allianz, the world’s largest insurance company. Details of the investment have not been disclosed. Solmaz Altin, Chief Digital Officer at Allianz, cited the company’s commitment to staying at the cutting edge of insurance and to helping Lemonade expand throughout the U.S. and internationally. Allianz already had invested in several thought leadership initiatives, such as

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in April 2017 published its monthly Composite Leading Indicator (CLI) with data from February 2017. Growth is anticipated to pick-up in the United States, Canada, and in Germany. In the United Kingdom, as in last month’s publication, there are tentative signs of growth gaining momentum, although the CLI remains below trend and uncertainty persists about the nature of the agreement the

Every business traveller these days is expected to have access to corporate networks and secure data on multiple devices. These devices include smart phones, tablets, and laptop computers, all of which are vulnerable to lapses in security protocols. Data security and privacy have always been a priority for any corporation − and this includes in-house proprietary data as well as client data − yet the increasingly invasive nature of governments and their agents has the potential to breach a company’s internal controls, as well as pose a multi-jurisdictional litigious liability to its operation.

Frédéric de Courtois Interview GBV Multinational Pooling 101 Paul Avis Digital Privacy at the U.S. Border Eric Muller-Borle Hot-Deskers, the Homeless People of the Office World? Alison Hirst

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An overview of pooling and its relevance to life and health insurance for companies. It covers the major pooling trends in the UK and globally as well as innovations and outlook for the area.

This interview is also available as a downloadable PDF file by clicking here. Frederic de Courtois Global Benefits Vision: Frédéric, can you give us some highlights of your career, with emphasis on iPMI, global employee benefits, or related fields? Frédéric de Courtois: I trained as an engineer and an actuary, and spent 23 years with AXA; I started in finance there and later moved on to business side. I

If you work in an open-plan, hot-desking environment, you have probably at some point found yourself trudging through the office, clutching your belongings, in search of a free desk. This feeling of homelessness is an increasing issue in society more broadly – and in the workplace, employees’ well-being is traded in for the company’s bottom line.

Global Bankers Insurance Group, the insurance and reinsurance division of Eli Global, in April 2017 acquired Luxembourg insurance company NN Life Luxembourg, a subsidiary of NN Group of The Netherlands. According to George Luecke, Vice Chairman and Co‐Chief Executive Officer of Global Bankers, the deal is part of their strategic expansion in Europe and follows on the acquisition of a portfolio of in‐force life and annuity insurance policies from

MAXIS Global Benefits Network (MAXIS GBN), a global joint venture between MetLife and AXA, in April 2017 announced the launch of its new website, client portal, and member portal as part of the firm’s extensive investment in its digital infrastructure. The new site has revised content about MAXIS GBN’s network, solutions, and thought leadership. The latter includes the new, monthly, Viewpoint series, webinars, and health and wellness white-papers. The

Swiss Life in March 2017 announced the appointment of Jörg Arnold as the new CEO Germany and member of the Corporate Executive Board. He will replace Markus Leibundgut, CEO of Swiss Life Switzerland since April 2017. Jörg Arnold joins Swiss Life from AXA Group, where he was Global Head of Savings, Retirement & Distribution within the Life & Savings Global Business Line. He is 52 years old and has a

Cartus, a provider of global relocation services, has published its 2016 Global Mobility Policy and Practices Survey that identifies four-year trends in where companies are sending their employees. As more companies establish presence in areas where labor and market conditions favor business growth, Cartus identifies trends by culling data from its worldwide client base, which includes more than 50 percent of Fortune 50 companies and approximately 163,000 corporate and

Chubb in April 2017 named Soledad Muné as Chief Underwriting Officer, Personal Insurance, for Chubb Overseas General Insurance, succeeding John Thompson, who will take on his new role as Division President, International Accident & Health. Ms. Muné will be responsible for the international auto and residential insurance portfolios and will report to Darryl Page, Vice President, Chubb Group and Division President, Personal Insurance, Overseas General Insurance. She was previously