Employee Benefit Adviser articles from November 2007

Employee Benefit Adviser archives from November 2007

You say Spanish, I say Ingles.
November 1, 2007... At a recent enrollment meeting, I was approached by an employee of a multi-national window manufacturer. She had just attended my Spanish presentation and had been waiting for the opportunity to ask about canceling her major medical plan. As I...

HR Evolves: Just because Kay Curling has years of benefits experience under her belt does not mean she is set in her ways. In fact, she is constantly changing her place in the benefits space.
November 1, 2007... Most advisers would love to step into the shoes of a human resource professional for a day - to experience the unfiltered wants, needs, fears and relationship valuations. Kay Curling, director of HR at SRA International, a Fairfax,...

Tom Sharkey "flunks" retirement, rejoins ranks of insurance brokers.
November 1, 2007... There's a new kid on the block of Northeastern independent insurance agents. Actually, he's well into his 70s and many people will recognize his name. Tom Sharkey Sr. is done playing golf and tennis while serving as a "consultant" to financial...

Eating bugs could make you sick.
November 1, 2007... It's hard not to be impressed by Kay Curling. Our feature on SRA International's benefits czar doesn't do her justice. You get an introduction from the pictures and the story, but to understand the cerebral airspace she navigates you have to...

Can P&C agents play benefits ball?(Interview)
November 1, 2007... The Hartford has a new game plan to get P&C agents up off the bench and into benefits sales. Greg Boyko, fresh from his post in Japan, is going to quarterback the effort. The company says its plan is to start with 401(k) sales in the...

Advisers, clients in the dark about pharmacy benefit management fees.
November 1, 2007... Pharmacy benefit managers make a great deal of their revenue from layers of contracts and agreements with entities like retail pharmacies, pharmaceutical companies and rebate aggregators. These arrangements result in a variety of revenue...

Crop of services to help employers avoid hospitalization costs continues to grow: Advisers have their work cut out for them when analyzing the multitude of services designed to help employers drive the right health care consumer to the right health care provider.
November 1, 2007... Higher health costs continue to drive the level of scrutiny employers and individuals apply to the medical services they receive. One area where both camps hope to gain some cost relief is making sure the care fits the provider. A suite of...

Existing programs, new products and better agents crucial to uninsured fix.
November 1, 2007... Health care reform promises to be a platform issue in the 2008 presidential election. As such, advisers can expect to be reading about different reform packages for the next 12 months. And while many advisers sit astride the fence in this...

State-based cafeteria plan mandates present opportunities for advisers.
November 1, 2007... Scott Hokanson Sr.'s firm, Employee Benefit Administrators, has been busy this year. The Hanover, Mass.-based firm has created over 500 new cafeteria plans for clients, effective July 2007. The Massachusetts Health Care Reform Act, explains...

Boosting retirement savings with unused vacation time titillates, vexes.
November 1, 2007... On average, American's use one-half to two-thirds of their vacation time each year. Many companies allow unused days to accumulate into weeks and even months of stockpiled leave. A series of private letter IRS rulings over the past decade...

Complete Coverage?
November 1, 2007... Insurance companies are beginning to offer fiduciary liability protection services to help protect plan sponsors and advisers in the event there is a legal judgment that results in monetary damages. In light of recent fee disputes and...

Employers desire HR technology that brings workers to the table.
November 1, 2007... As benefits change, so will HR delivery. The 21st century workplace is witnessing rapid reforms and adjustments to benefits and compensation programs, thus forcing employers to reconsider how they administer benefits under those programs. ...

Worksite allure continues to build for ranks of group health advisers.
November 1, 2007... The market is there. Statistics show that more and more employers are looking to voluntary benefits market sold through worksite distribution to fill gaps created by their health care cost management efforts. Yet many traditional group...

Strategic planning means stronger client relationships, more revenue.
November 1, 2007... Given the increasing pressure to reduce or shift the expense of employer paid health insurance plans and the eroding revenues for group benefits advisers, we thought we would spend a little time addressing an emerging trend in client...

Study groups as valuable today as when benefits advising was first born.
November 1, 2007... What do the Benefit Advisors Network, United Benefit Advisors and National Financial Partners all have in common? They are examples of how study groups have matured into more powerful and productive business federations. Study groups are...

IRS search for missing 5500s presents advisers with a compliance opportunity.
November 1, 2007... In February, 2007, the IRS began to issue notices to employers questioning whether or not they had filed an annual Form 5500 for 2004 plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2004. The IRS just recently informed employers, in its Employee...