Employee Benefit Adviser articles from November 2006

Employee Benefit Adviser archives from November 2006

The unified theory of everything.(employee benefits)
November 1, 2006... In physics, scientists have achieved a pretty good understanding of how really big things, like galaxies, work. They've also gotten better at understanding the workings of really small things, like quantum particles. Now the quest is for a...

Employer clients turn to mini-med plans as stopgaps.
November 1, 2006... A growing number of employers are buying limited medical, or "mini-med," plans for their workers so they can have access to basic medical benefits while waiting sometimes as long as 12 to 24 months to become eligible for a major medical...

A benefit that makes a difference: Best Doctors ensures patients are diagnosed and treated properly.
November 1, 2006... Insurance companies and brokers do not view Best Doctors as a big moneymaker, but they are passionate about the product because it is a value-added service that can change people's lives. When patients find out they have a rare cancer or...

The human side of optimizing business value.
November 1, 2006... In this series of articles that started in August, we have been discussing ways that principal owners can take steps to optimize their business even before they are finally ready to sell their business or otherwise divest themselves of their...

Preliminary ruling may pave way for aggressive small-group health programs.(Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and Total Benefits Planning Agency )
November 1, 2006... The controversial tactic of leveraging individual health coverage to mitigate rising group premiums in small populations is a step closer to legitimacy following the most recent legal volley between Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield and a...

Complaints threaten complexion of 401(k) client relations.
November 1, 2006... A series of complaints against several Fortune 500 companies could shake relations between 401(k) sponsors and service providers to their foundations if the plaintiffs prevail. On Sept. 11, the law firm Schlichter, Bogard & Denton in St....

Leveraging the Pension Protection Act.
November 1, 2006... While many financial advisers waited anxiously for the legislation that would allow them to provide advice to 401(k) participants, a careful reading of the Pension Protection Act of 2006 shows that though there are good opportunities for...

Roadshow 3.0: CDH know-how varies greatly by region.
November 1, 2006... Thousands of miles, hundreds of brokers, and dozens of perspectives on consumer-driven health. The Principal's Jerry Ripperger is on the final leg of his 2006 road show Lancaster, Pennsylvania at the end of October is the last stop. For three...

Marching Orders: As voluntary products continue to gain market share, carriers offer their suggestions for maximizing sales.
November 1, 2006... The voluntary army wants you. America's health care battle continues to build. The ranks of uninsured rise as more and more employers abandon their major medical plans altogether. Cost shifting continues to be the rage, with higher deductibles...

Buyers' study offers advisers a line on nine industry sectors.
November 1, 2006... UnumProvident's first-ever voluntary benefits "Buyers' Study Industry Supplement" offers a wealth of tips and statistical nuggets for advisers looking to crack nine different industry categories. Here's a sampling of what the report comprised...

Who says you can't go home again? Rains Group partners return to Gallagher's fold.(Interview)
November 1, 2006... Roughly a decade after Gordon C. Rains parted ways with Gallagher to start his eponymous Bingham Farms, Mich.-based brokerage, it looks like he is ready to return to the fold. Bryan Hirn, his partner and another Gallagher alum, says biology...

Dealmakers.
November 1, 2006... * Robert Lockhart launches national brokerage. Former Hilb, Rogal & Hobbs CEO Robert Lockhart has launched Kinlock Holdings, a new insurance brokerage that hopes to grow though a combination of acquisitions and organic growth. Northaven...

I'm too sexy for ERISA!!!
November 1, 2006... Popular lawyerly blog AbovetheLaw.com recently asked visitors to name their favorite ERISA hotties. Now a hottie, as defined by Merriam Webster, is a sexually attractive person; a very good-looking person of the opposite sex. Readers...

Just Rewards.(Transamerica's retirement site won DALBAR Seal of Excellence for Communications award)(Tyson Foods, Farmland Foods and Beef Products Inc. won award)(Department of Labor launched a site)
November 1, 2006... *Transamerica retirement site wins award. The small to mid-size business retirement plan provider received the DALBAR Seal of Excellence for Communications for its www.TA-Retirement.com. The site added several new features for sponsors and...

Vimo borrows page from Lending Tree for health care market.
November 1, 2006... " When banks compete you win." Lending Tree's familiar refrain is well known. Consumers visit the site, compare loan plans and pricing options, then request more information - this leads to a call from a local broker. Chini Krishnan, an...

Bridging the divide: building more value into broker/client relationships.
November 1, 2006... Many human resources professionals turn to brokers for assistance in the selection, implementation, and ongoing administration of benefits technology. Too often, however, trouble sets in even before the technology is operational: expectations...

Leads, leads, leads.(insurance industry marketing)
November 1, 2006... Insurance brokers are in the business of selling insurance and additional services. These efforts dominate advisers' interests. Next in line with selling is the potential for educating consumers and guiding them through the array of available...

HIPAA letters.
November 1, 2006... There's some contention over whether insurance-based mini-med products are compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Affordability Act, which seeks to reduce health care costs by standardizing how health claims and other data are...

Elevator pitch does not have to be a downer.
November 1, 2006... T his month EBA's resident sales guru Mel Schlesinger fields another adviser's question about the age-old quick pitch. Isn't the 30-second commercial a bit disingenuous, and isn't that why people feel the way that they do about...

Let go and let someone else do it.(Employee Benefit Adviser Summit)
November 1, 2006... In a twist on the old religious admonition to "let go and let God," it appears many producers would also be well advised to let go and let subordinates take over some burdens. Speakers at EBA's recent Employee Benefit Adviser Summit in...

The latest "new thing": New direction or distraction?(health savings accounts)
November 1, 2006... Nick Bond, owner of a Midwest transmission rebuilding shop, was recently the subject of a front page Wall Street Journal article. Bond, faced with increasing health insurance premiums, decided to take his broker's advice and enroll his group in...