Employee Benefit Adviser articles from October 2005

Employee Benefit Adviser archives from October 2005

Bringing the message home.(employers management of employee benefits)
October 1, 2005... Ever wonder if your message is really sinking in? How many times have you given your clients and their employees the facts of life? You know what those are - responsibility for keeping themselves healthy, awareness of how much is being...

Employers place little faith in health care strategies.
October 1, 2005... It should come as little surprise that health care premiums, on average, have increased between 9% and 10% over the past year. Nor is it news that the greatest percentage of American workers by far are enrolled in PPO plans, or that few...

Aetna pierces pricing veil to tell Cincy patients what docs get.
October 1, 2005... In a region where Aetna plays fourth fiddle to Anthem, Humana and UnitedHealth, the company has decided to sing a different song. Cincinnati's 5,000 members now have the ability to go online and see exactly what Aetna reimburses providers for...

The Spitzer effect: With contingent commissions facing an uncertain future, brokers.
October 1, 2005... In the year since New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer made contingent commissions a top-line issue for the insurance industry, brokers have grappled with new processes and lost revenue as they reassess their compensation practices. ...

Rx revenue streaming: Transparency offers brokers and clients a better view of how revenue streams empty into PBMs' river of income.
October 1, 2005... As all aspects of health care cost come under greater scrutiny, pre scription drug players - employers, brokers and at least some insurers and pharmacy benefit managers - are beating the drum for greater transparency in drug pricing. But...

Storm surge: Hurricane Katrina drives home the importance of appropriate property and casualty insurance.
October 1, 2005... Hurricane Katrina has made it clear that property and casualty insurance - specifically, auto and homeowners' coverage - is not something to be taken lightly. Brokers now have an opportunity to remind clients and their employees about the...

Garamendi decries "skeleton" CDH policies.
October 1, 2005... Whatever the issue, from environmentalism to immigration policy, California tends to be the bellwether for future national policies and practices, with officials often coming down on a side that does not favor business interests. The...

Advisers watch as pressured providers take their case directly to employees.
October 1, 2005... Looking for an advantage in their negotiations with insurers over reimbursement rates, physicians and hospitals have begun taking their case directly to consumers - a controversial strategy that could have the unintended effect of forcing even...

It's too late to run: Medicare D is on the benefit horizon.
October 1, 2005... The much talked-about, highly anticipated prescription drug addition to the Medicare stable of benefits finally is coming into sight on the horizon. Your clients most likely are receiving increasing numbers of e-mail and pieces of paper...

Louisiana broker tries to ride out the storm: From left to right, Michael Hollis, Sharon Hannahan and Louisiana State Sen. Ken Hollis moved to temporary quarters in Baton Rouge to wait out Hurricane Katrina's aftermath.
October 1, 2005... Like his fellow Louisiana residents, State Sen. Ken Hollis, a 40-year vet of the group benefits industry and chairman of his chamber's commerce committee, has had his problems since Hurricane Katrina landed in New Orleans and the surrounding...

Just Rewards.
October 1, 2005... Insurers, brokers and other industry players continue to exhibit staggering generosity to the survivors of Hurricane Katrina. What follows is a sample of their actions: * The Chubb Corp. has established a $1 million fund for disaster...

Dealmakers.
October 1, 2005... Deal of the Month and Moving the Needle will return in the next issue of EBA. * American Benefit Plan Administrators, an affiliate of HealthPlan Holdings, announced it acquired the Taft-Hartley trust fund assets of Associated...

Selling LTCI requires TLC.
October 1, 2005... To my knowledge, no one has ever called long-term care insurance an "easy sale" - and I've been in this business for more than 30 years. Yes, product awareness is growing at the worksite, particularly since the federal government launched...

E-newsletter.
October 1, 2005... Caremark reaches $137 million settlement over kickback allegations Caremark Rx's subsidiary, AdvancePCS, reached a settlement with the federal government over allegations of soliciting and receiving kickbacks from pharmaceutical...

Be Advised: Opportunities abound in today's retirement landscape.
October 1, 2005... This year marks an important milestone in the retirement industry - the 70th anniversary of Social Security. Many changes have taken place in that time. When I began my career in 1970, 90% of the retirement plans I sold were new or...