Employee Benefit Adviser articles from March 2005

Employee Benefit Adviser archives from March 2005

Helping each other with continuous quality improvement.
March 1, 2005... Two years ago this month, we launched Employee Benefit Adviser as the premier resource for benefits brokers, advisers and worksite marketers. Our intent was to be the first place you looked for information on any issue germane to your bottom...

Auto club heads up lightning round benefits.(Pinnacle Motor Club Inc)
March 1, 2005... So your prospective client has heard all the proposed solutions to his health care cost problems. He already offers dental benefits, and he is not particularly interested in any other door openers you usually propose. Try a different...

Patient advocacy offers navigational system for clients.
March 1, 2005... Employees have a hard enough time dealing with the managed care bureaucracy and their own questions about their health care. Now, with costs spiraling out of control and consumer-driven health care gaining popularity and cachet, those workers...

Limited-benefit medical allows access to new market.
March 1, 2005... Traditionally, brokers have tried to get the most value for their clients by looking for a comprehensive health plan for as little money as they can spend. Now, though, it is getting to be almost impossible to do so, particularly in the...

Absence management software promises easy, cheap tracking.
March 1, 2005... Employers have a notoriously difficult time tracking absences and administering family and medical leave. Now, brokers and marketers can help their clients get a handle on a consistent productivity drain. The benefits marketing firm...

Marsh settlement could mean new business model for brokers.
March 1, 2005... Broker giant Marsh & McLennan's recent settlement with New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer's office could presage a new era for brokers, marked by more fee disclosure, new standards for insurance placement and, just maybe, the end of...

Civil verdict could change insurer-agent relationship.
March 1, 2005... A new application of franchise law could alter relations between insurance brokers and agents and the carriers for which they work, according to an attorney involved in the case. Late last year, Alex Charts, an independent insurance agent...

Roadside assistance: Supplemental medical insurance can aid clients on the journey to.
March 1, 2005... Traditionally geared toward the uninsured and part-time employee markets, limited-benefit and other supplemental medical products are becoming increasingly popular as the consumer-driven health movement continues to develop. The market for...

Remembering the little people: Dental plan brokers attempt to expand their markets by selling to smaller employers.
March 1, 2005... Dental benefits still are among the most popular plans offered, many times at the expense of life and disability insurance. But the large employer groups that traditionally have comprised the lion's share of the dental marketplace have become...

Social Security debate highlights advisers' role in retirement.
March 1, 2005... Experts believe President Bush's push to change Social Security will raise awareness of retirement needs and financial advisers' services, even if his reform efforts ultimately fail. Moreover, the changes would not crowd out employee...

Portability - the other HIPAA: Advisers should help revise plan documents to comply with new HIPAA regs.(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)
March 1, 2005... On Dec. 30, 2004, the IRS, the Employee Benefits Security Administration and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued joint final regulations addressing the portability rules under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability...

EBA acknowledges your success.(Employment Benefit Advisor)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... You have an important job, one for which you do not always receive recognition. But that's okay; what matters is making sure your client's program provides sufficient benefits to employees without bankrupting the employer. However,...

Principal list offers snapshot of best broker-client relationships.
March 1, 2005... Principal's recent snapshot of the 10 best companies for employee financial security also spreads the flash on the benefit advisers that helped them get the picture. Although the list compiled by Principal is mainly of interest to workers,...

Principal's 10 best companies for employee financial security.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Bethesda, Md. Adviser: N/A American Urological Association Education and Research Inc., Linthicum Heights, Md. Adviser: Foster, Soltoff & Love Ltd., Bethesda, Md. Clipper Belt Lacer...

Integrated worksite marketing tackles health insurance costs.(Management of Marketing Industry)
March 1, 2005... Colonial sold its first payroll-deducted voluntary insurance policy 50 years ago and in the process helped create a whole new business that eventually grew into the thriving worksite marketing industry. Today, worksite marketing is an integral...

Dealmakers.
March 1, 2005... * Capital Assurance Corp. (Louisville, Ky.) will acquire Standard Life Insurance Co. (Indianapolis, Ind.) following shareholder and regulatory approval. The deal, estimated at $82 million, is expected to close this spring. Standard Life is a...

How to turn yourself into a tech-savvy broker.(Management)
March 1, 2005... A new generation of technology for employee benefit brokers and agents has recently begun to emerge. This next wave of technology not only helps you as brokers and agents manage your own business more efficiently but, more importantly,...

E-newsletter.(Employee Benefits)
March 1, 2005... New York commish favors voluntary comp disclosure New York government officials recently indicated that they will go easy on the disclosure of incentive fees insurers pay to agents. Acting Superintendent of Insurance Howard Mills and...