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Article from: The Actuary June 1994 – Volume 28, No. 6 ! 0 The Actuary • June 1994 Actuaries are good sports, too by Judy Wohlt Actuary hits home run with "I finally decided sports statistics company I couldn't do both Ever since he was a Little Leaguer, jobs," he said. "I John Dewan knew he would like to have a strong entre- take a swing at a career combining his preneurial spirit, and interest in numbers and his passion for I wanted to do some- sports. Soon after he became a Fellow thing I had dreamed of the Society of Actuaries in 1982, of since I was a kid." Dewan's dream became a reality when So Dewan stepped up he read a book written by a man who to the plate. With the was starting a project collecting data help of his wife and on all major league baseball games. one other person, Dewan called the author, Bill James, he began running to offer his help on the project. "He STATS Inc. (which was doing with baseball numbers what stands for Sports I was doing with insurance numbers," Team Analysis and Dewan said. Tracking Systems) The project turned into a company flail-time from his called STATS. Dewan invested in the living room in 1987. Two months later, he company while working fi.tll-time head- Brian Harper (left) takes down his opponent from Ohio opened his first office. ing up an actuarial department at a State University in a recent tournament. Chicago insurance company. He then His company has became assistant director of research been growing ever and development at the company, since. He now has a where he worked on agent compensa- staff of 40 employees and products products and sofv,vare. He recently tion and marketing. In his free time, ranging from on-line services and soft- helped develop a system to project how Dewan was working on his first sports ware to books and fantasy games. a pitcher will fare in the next baseball statistics book, The Great American In addition, Dewan has a "reporter season based on his perfbrmance in the Baseball Stat Book. ne~vork" of 500 people throughout last season. Dewan also worked with the United States who cover baseball, his favorite baseball team -- the basketball, football, and hockey games Chicago White Sox -- to set up soft- to collect scores for his database. "Our ware to position players on the field biggest claim to fame is that ever3' and create a strong lineup. His baseball box score you see in any U.S. company also publishes baseball, foot- newspaper came from us," Dewan said. ball, and basketball statistics books. Most actuaries he knows seem fasci- His 1994 book is The STATS nated with sports. In fact, Dewan has Baseball Scoreboard. two actuaries working on his staff. Wrestler pins down career in He believes his actuarial background actuarial science was instrumental in his success at Brian Harper recently wrestled with running a company. "The general busi- the idea of training for the Olympics ness skills I was exposed to as an versus studying for actuarial exams. actuary, in the insurance industD' have Remarkably, actuarial science won the definitely carried over into my new match. career." Parts of the actuarial exams Harper, who passed the first two John Dewan dzsplays his lat~t creation - that dealt with economics and account- beginning actuarial exams, placed a hand-held baseball software package ing also could be applied to running a second in the National Collegiate that gives up-to-date statistics, league business, he said. Athletic Association (NCAA) Wrestling tracking of standings, on-line baseball Dewan spends much of his time in Championships in March. Hc could trivia, and more. contract negotiations and developing continue by training for the 2000 The Actuary • June 1994 1 1 ;mpics, but Harper said, "I ended finishes the beginning actuarial exams, my wresding career on a high note, and he plans to follow the casualty track. now I'm ready to put in as much energy Actuarial student jumps as I did in sports into being an actuary." through hoops to make The wrestler who edged him out of basketball team first place was a rival during tourna- "I decided to end my senior year with ments throughout the year. Harper a bang," said Emerson S. Moore II, doesn't view it as a loss, though. "I was an actuarial student at the University seeded sixth when I started in the tour- of Michigan. Before the start of his nament and wrestled the best in my senior year, Moore trained with the life." His team, the University of Michigan basketball team for a walk-on Michigan Wolverines, also did well, position. He had tried for the same placing fifth in the championships. position the year before, but didn't The Monday he got back from the make the final cut. Emerson Moore (right) blocks a rival championships, Harper went on his Not easily defeated, Moore survived during a game. second interview at CNA Insurance the grueling workouts and got the Companies in Chicago and soon after walk-on position. The icing on the court time, Moore values the experi- that, he found out he got the job. cake, though, was his team's chance to ences he gained and the friends he "I didn't want the month of March play in the Sweet 16 NCAA Basketball made along the way. "It was a thrill to end." Tournament this year. The Wolverines just to wear the uniform," he said. Harper graduated this spring with a had a pretty good season, but lost to Moore took his first actuarial exam bachelor's degree in actuarial math and Arkansas in the Elite 8 (the third round in May and will graduate in June started his job with CNA in June doing of the tournament). with a bachelor's degree in actuarial casualty actuarial work. After he Although he didn't get in much mathematics. groups go public (continued from page 6) Other findings from the group's work group for its "very thorough, said. "Because most other health care analysis focused on features that affect professional, and rigorous review" of reform proposals before Congress are premiums: HCFA actuaries' methodology and based on HCFA models and data, the • Because the premiums would be assumptions to estimate premiums for Academy's work on the Clinton community rated, employers with the Act. However, he disagreed with proposal has broad applicability to younger-than-average employees certain points in the group's report. other bills gaining prominence." who are not now community rated "I feel that, for estimating current Mental health group would tend to experience increases health insurance premiums, more completes work in premiums. Similarly, employers reliance should be placed on HCFA's Ron Bachman, chair of the Academy's with older-than-average employees National Health Accounts than on the Mental Health Benefits Work Group, could see decreases. two proprietary ratebooks used by the spoke with 12 reporters at a briefing • The Act does not describe the cost work group...that have never been breakfast in Washington on May 17, basis to be used, and no direct link is subjected to outside peer review or the day the "Actuarial Issues in made between the determination of independent analysis to ascertain if they Designing Mental Health Benefits premium caps and the determination are nationally representative," King said. under Health Reform" monograph of the fee-for-service schedule. The Academy work group chose a was released. However, these two provisions directly range for the cost of the uninsured Monographs are available through affect each other and would need to population of 80% to 125% of the cost the American Academy of Actuaries, be consistent if the premium caps for the insured. "HCFA used analytical 1100 Seventeenth Street NW, were to be set at a reasonable level. techniques to estimate that the unin- 7th Floor, Washington, DC 20036, Roland (Guy) King, HCFA's chief sured would cost 141% of the cost of 202/223-8196. actuary, attended the press conference the insured," King said. made a brief statement after the "The Academy's premium estimates ;t Estimates Group reported its are based on HCFA's model, substitut- findings. King praised the Academy's ing different assumptions," Murphy .

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