Employee Benefit Adviser articles from March 2008

Employee Benefit Adviser archives from March 2008

The money and interest are there, but will employers and patients follow?
March 1, 2008... The medical tourism industry continues to mature, sprouting all the attendants of a healthy market - a myriad of professional conferences, trade groups and of course dedicated media. Despite the buzz, many continue to look for more concrete...

Massachusetts experiment shows room for advisers to step up and stand out on CDH.
March 1, 2008... Consumer-directed health care has been promoted as a possible solution to rising costs for some time now. But as anyone in the business can tell you, adoption rates have been disappointing so far. Meanwhile, we here in Massachusetts are now...

With rewards programs, MedEncentive believes everyone can be healthier.
March 1, 2008... The way the founders of MedEncentive figure it, the health care system is a failure because someone always feels like they're losing, whether it's the patient, the physician or the payers. To fix it, the company created a program that...

Employers redouble efforts to communicate need for diversification: The value of diversification can't be overstated for employees. That's why more and more employers and their advisers are redoubling their education and communication efforts around this crucial concept.
March 1, 2008... Diversification is one message that should not be left out of retirement plan communications, experts say. Peter Gulia, an ERISA attorney and founder of the Fiduciary Guidance Counsel in Philadelphia, says, "Many employers are [emphasizing...

Talk smarter, not louder when trying to boost employee retirement savings.
March 1, 2008... In the coming decade, the labor market will undergo a dramatic reorganization. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that 11.3 million workers aged 55 and older will enter the workforce by 2014, more than four times the typical growth rate....

Trends in veterinary care secure the staying power of pet insurance: Is it time to get off your high horse and take another look at pet insurance? Probably, as more and more Americans demonstrate with their wallets just how much they treasure Spot and Fluffy.
March 1, 2008... Advisers loyal to voluntary insurance products, and the revenue they bring, are quick to say pet insurance is a rapidly growing product line. In fact, many claim it is the most asked about voluntary benefit. Advisers who have not looked...

Concierge benefits can help advisers get noticed and help employers stand out.
March 1, 2008... Many employer pockets are nearly empty due to sky-high health care costs. As voluntary demands grow, advisers are looking to non-traditional benefits like personal or concierge services to set themselves apart. Concierge services run the...

Communication tools let advisers be creative while driving revenue: Progressive.(internal communication can help company ot boost faster)
March 1, 2008... As we prepare to close out the first quarter of 2008, we hope that the year is progressing well for you and that it will be your most prosperous yet. Thus far in our current series about increasing sales revenues and profits we have discussed...

More technology and more treatment does not always mean better health - The author of Overtreated: Why Too Much Medicine is Making Us Sicker and Poorer, shares her thoughts on America'scurrent system of health care reimbursement and how it needs to change.
March 1, 2008... Shannon Brownlee's commentary on the U.S. health care system has certainly made waves - it was out of stock everywhere and needed to be reprinted, just three months after its release. Now, it's back on bookshelves. Overtreated reveals why...

Employers favor private-industry reforms to maintain an employer-based system.
March 1, 2008... Employers don't hold much faith that the next president will produce significant health care reform, according to a new survey from the CBIZ Benefits & Insurance and the publisher of Employee Benefit Adviser and Employee Benefit News. ...

Drug dispensing ATMs offer strategic path to generics adoption.
March 1, 2008... Prozac, Lipitor, Prilosec, Zocor - most employers and consumers recognize the names of these brand-name medications, and some even know the television commercials that advertise them. Substantially fewer, though, know - or use - the drugs'...

Where, oh where, is the Al Gore of health care?
March 1, 2008... As a human resources professional, my view is usually from the trenches. Every day we contemplate different ways of reducing health care costs. Unfortunately, when we look beyond our corporate microcosm, it is apparent that America, as a whole,...

It's un-American: Advisers can help change those bad behaviors that too often define Americans.
March 1, 2008... When did it become un-American to be healthy? I mean real health - physical, financial and psychological. It didn't happen overnight, but I'm pretty sure it's officially happened. Think about the economic stimulus package coming to some of...

Sky's the limit.(Andy Torelli of e3 Financial )(Occupation overview)
March 1, 2008... It took Andy Torelli a while to find out that he wanted to be a group insurance adviser. After dropping out of college he pursued a green thumb before turning to insurance. A buddy was selling life for Metropolitan. It wasn't long before...

Breaking the Cycle: The way it works now, many advisers make it or break it in just a few days each year - open enrollment. Some benefits experts now believe just one bite at the employee apple is insufficient and are suggesting a secondary enrollment program to boost participation and increase worker appreciation and understanding of benefits.
March 1, 2008... Employee communication has always been a challenging part of an adviser's job. Not only do many employees lack an understanding of employee benefits and the role they play in an individual's overall financial strategy, they may be reluctant to...

Fresh Eyes: Emerging small-group carrier looks to highlight, not diminish, the role advisers play in today's evolving health care market.(Interview)
March 1, 2008... The health reform conversation does not have to run very long before some start to question the role of the group broker. Leading industry lights are often stymied by the question of whether the major medical carriers really care whether...