Employee Benefit Adviser articles from November 2005

Employee Benefit Adviser archives from November 2005

Offshoring medical care: Has it really come to this?
November 1, 2005... I know health care expenses have gone through the roof. I know it is all anyone - employers, employees and, yes, even insurers - can do to afford necessary medical attention in this day and age. But come on - Bangkok? Apparently, in...

Small businesses turn to Section 105 plans.
November 1, 2005... Many advisers and experts look on consumer-driven health care as one of only a few viable options in the effort to keep medical costs manageable, and for many small employers, that choice is limited to a high-deductible health plan or nothing...

Identity theft benefits offer advisers, clients new opportunity and protection.
November 1, 2005... Identity theft is the fastest growing white-collar crime in the United States - and one that more than likely will hit your clients and their employees, making identity theft protection benefits a no-brainer. According to the Identity Theft...

Large contracts necessitate more service.
November 1, 2005... One byproduct of New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer's investigations into broker compensation practices has been the advent of greater transparency, as advisers open their books to show clients exactly what they earn and from whence it...

Tax cuts could eat into retirement plans, experts say.
November 1, 2005... Congressional leaders claim that, despite the budget drains of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, permanently reducing or eliminating taxes on capital gains and dividends is still a legislative priority. But while proponents argue that cutting taxes...

Hitting the right notes: A combination of visual design, catchy taglines and smart.(Column)
November 1, 2005... A successful benefits program comes down to whether employees understand and appreciate the package. Unfortunately, one of the most common complaints from both advisers and employers is that workers, well, don't. To be fair, though, while...

In the tank: Sometimes, a voluntary benefit just can't hold its head above water. Here's how you keep it afloat.
November 1, 2005... The sale of voluntary benefits takes a certain talent for knowing the right product to market to the right workforce in just the right way. But what happens when you walk into a worksite with what you know is a great product - and then it...

Countrywide ready to shop for benefits clients and talent to stock national practice.(interview)(Interview)
November 1, 2005... Countrywide Financial executives are tired of just being a household name in mortgages. Therefore, the company, valued at almost $14 billion, has decided to extend its reach toward commercial insurance products. Industry vet Dave Kuhn came...

Local brokers gamble on success after Aon invasion.
November 1, 2005... Aon Consulting's move to Sin City doesn't appear to be striking fear in the hearts of the brokers who inevitably will fall under the conglomerate's $10 billion shadow. After all, some advisers say, the market is big enough. Experts agree, but...

WellChoice merger adds muscle to WellPoint's national accounts, consumer-driven positions.
November 1, 2005... Executives at national health insurer WellPoint and at WellChoice, New York's largest health plan, insist that their upcoming merger should not inflate premiums and instead might allow for cost reductions. In fact, says WellPoint President...

Moving the Needle.(merger between WellPoint and WellChoice)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... In this issue, Gerald C. Vigneron, managing director of Concord, Mass.-based North Bridge Advisors Inc., comments on the merger of WellPoint and WellChoice. He is a nationally known expert on bank acquisition and integration of independent...

Dealmakers.
November 1, 2005... * Watson Wyatt acquired Chicago-based Davis, Conder, Enderle & Sloan, a 13-year-old actuarial and retirement benefits consulting firm that offers a broad range of pension and retiree medical benefit services. The deal adds 29 retirement...

Advisers agree hitting a benefits long ball is all about attitude.
November 1, 2005... The Principal Financial Group's list of top employers for employee financial security shows there is no way to hit a benefits homerun without touching first base. First base, according to advisers and Principal executives, is attitude -...

Price is always a consideration but looking at the big picture is more important.
November 1, 2005... American Lung Association Robin Baughan, PPI Benefit Solutions and Mike Accardo, Segal. American Council of Life Insurers David C. Nearpass and Mary Ann Dunleavy, Buck Consultants Campus USA Pat Canty, Chip Williams and Associates Flexco...

Just Rewards.
November 1, 2005... *John Hancock Life Insurance Co. is donating $1 million worth of canned peaches, pears and apricots to survivors of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita via the Houston and Baton Rouge, La. food banks. The approximately 53,000 cases of fruit...

Responding to Rising Health Care Costs - the Good, the Bad, the Ugly and the Future.
November 1, 2005... Health care costs continue to escalate, forcing Americans to make changes in behaviors. Many of these changes reach well beyond simple purchasing decisions and will have significant implications for the future. The majority of Americans...

Asking to eliminate the competition.
November 1, 2005... An attendee of one of my sales training programs called me with a very common question among benefits brokers. She had had a great meeting with a prospect and now was preparing to meet with him again with the quotes she had received from...

Info Sources.(Directory)
November 1, 2005... As a service to readers, EBA furnishes the names, location and telephone numbers of organizations whose products and services are highlighted in each issue. Page numbers identify where organizations are mentioned. A and H Insurance, Reno,...

E-newsletter.
November 1, 2005... S&P warns of "irrational pricing" from Medicare competition The enactment of the Medicare Part D prescription drug program is engendering a great deal of competition from not just health insurers but also pharmacy benefit managers,...

Surgical outsourcing: An overseas solution for a domestic problem.
November 1, 2005... It is rare to hear about new ideas to control health care costs. In fact, most people, like me, are probably quite skeptical of these pronouncements. We have seen many so-called "exciting new concepts" that may be theoretical or even just...