Employee Benefit Adviser articles from March 2007

Employee Benefit Adviser archives from March 2007

It is a new day in the health care debate.
March 1, 2007... New efforts to reform the U.S. health insurance system are real and serious, and it would be wise not to ignore what's happening. Health insurance reform is breaking out everywhere; 2007 is shaping up to be the "Year of the Possible" with...

Managing the urge to merge.(reasons )
March 1, 2007... As we approach March Madness, we are tipping off a new six-part series this month that will focus on business mergers. In the last several years we have seen an increase in the number of insurance agency and brokerage mergers at all levels. We...

Willis breaks from herd, stresses threat to small advisers.
March 1, 2007... While many of the country's largest benefits brokers have signed on with Atlanta's Digital Insurance to improve their management of small clients (see EBA February for more coverage), Willis has zigged where its brethren have zagged. And while...

All the news that fits your needs.(periodical )
March 1, 2007... I can't tell you how happy I was to hear that Mel Schlesinger's monthly "Ask the Coach" column is really starting to resonate with our readers. Mel tells me he received several responses to February's contribution, which chided advisers that...

Sun Life to climb rankings with Genworth buy.(Michael Shunney of Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada)(Genworth Financial)(Interview)
March 1, 2007... Canadian benefits power Sun Life is making its move in the U.S. benefits market. While the company is not a stranger to America's group benefits system, its $650 million decision to acquire the group operations of Genworth Financial is likely...

Dealmakers.(iMedica Corporation and CHD Meridian Healthcare partnered)(HeathEquity Inc. and SelectHealth Inc.)(Horton Group and Assurex Global )(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... CHD Meridian and iMedica form partnership. iMedica Corporation and CHD Meridian Healthcare will offer iMedica's electronic health record and practice management system, iMedica Patient relationship manager, to CHD Meridian's 215 health centers...

Just Rewards.
March 1, 2007... ACE Group endows $100,000 scholarship. Spencer Educational Foundation, Inc., an organization dedicated to supporting undergraduate and graduate students in the risk management and insurance disciplines, has received a $100,000 commitment from...

Mini-med Roundup: Advisers try TO avoid being hogtied by market confusion.
March 1, 2007... Ask a broker what he thinks of mini-meds and the response will range from good, to bad, to just plain ugly. These alternative health care products allow low-wage employees moderate medical coverage without forcing workers and employers to pay a...

Mini-med reality check:.(employee health insurance)
March 1, 2007... There have been many positive and negative testimonies about mini-med plans and rumors are swirling like tabloid gossip. As with most rumors, not everything you hear is true. Employee Benefit Adviser asked a few mini-med experts to shed some...

HIPAAcritical.
March 1, 2007... Q. Is it important that a mini-med plan is HIPAA-creditable coverage? Some carriers tout that they have HIPAA-creditable coverage certificates but don't pay much attention to whether or not that coverage is, in fact, transferable. A. One...

Major carrier faces limited benefits lawsuit.
March 1, 2007... Making sure the communication of a mini-med plan is comprehensive isn't just a best practice - it's the subject of a lawsuit being filed against Aetna subsidiary, Strategic Resources Company. Consumer advocacy group, Citizens for Economic...

Balanced Buying: Evidence-based health benefit design, the strategy du jour.
March 1, 2007... Research shows that the percentage of health premiums paid by employees is levelling off. Also, when asked if they are considering an old-line cost-shifting move (copay or premium increase) employers are just as likely to say no as yes. That...

Are your clients ready for new cost-cutting tools?(Kaiser Family Foundation's survey of employer health benefits)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... The Kaiser Family Foundation's 2006 Survey of Employer Health Benefits shows that many employers may be tiring of traditional cost-shifting methods, paving the way for progressive advisers to offer novel ways of achieving savings. The...

Correction.(Correction notice)
March 1, 2007... In a January 2007 article, EBA incorrectly referred to Carena, a Seattle-based health care services company, as a "venture fund." The company has received venture capital funding, but is not a venture fund. (c) 2007 Employee Benefit...

Don't call it flex: Best Buy puts work-life balance on new axis.("Results Only Work Environment" program)
March 1, 2007... At Best Buy's corporate campus in Minneapolis, employees ignore regular office hours, don't show up for meetings and are frequently absent without leave. Management couldn't be happier. Best Buy is reinventing how people work. Through a...

Bush's tax proposal met with mixed reviews.
March 1, 2007... There's been no shortage of opinions from policy experts since President Bush proposed changing tax codes as part of a broad initiative to reduce the ranks of the uninsured. Some have said this could signal the end of employer-sponsored health...

Some advisers say Bush proposal may be DOA.
March 1, 2007... In his State of the Union address, President Bush revealed plans to use a standard tax deduction for health insurance to encourage more Americans to obtain insurance through their employer or independently. The tax deduction for health coverage...

Some advisers say Bush proposal may be DOA.
March 1, 2007... In his State of the Union address, President Bush revealed plans to use a standard tax deduction for health insurance to encourage more Americans to obtain insurance through their employer or independently. The tax deduction for health coverage...

Brokers need to educate selves on HSAs.
March 1, 2007... The recent passage of legislation that makes it more attractive to invest in health savings accounts has industry observers confident that more consumers will adopt them. Employers, therefore, need to get up-to-date quickly on HSAs and...

Ask the Coach: Advisers give advice, not spreadsheets.
March 1, 2007... This month EBA's resident sales guru, Mel Schlesinger, talks about how the best advisers give advice, not spreadsheets. Following January's edition of EBA, which included Mel's advice that Sharon ditch her spreadsheets, Stephen shot off his own...