Employee Benefit Adviser articles from October 2006

Employee Benefit Adviser archives from October 2006

Leading the fight against conventional wisdom.
October 1, 2006... Many times, in many life endeavors, the reason we cannot solve a problem is because our assumptions are faulty. Challenge the assumptions and new possibilities suddenly appear. The biggest problem employer-clients now face is health benefit...

Small businesses can benefit from wellness initiatives.
October 1, 2006... Wellness programs geared toward a specific workforce can be just as beneficial for small companies as they are for big companies, experts say. Brian Passon, director of Corporate Fitness & Health, a Marlborough, Conn.-based wellness...

529s deal with the high cost of higher education.
October 1, 2006... Section 529 plans are graduating into the ranks of mainstream employee benefits as the price tag on a college education keeps growing. According to the College Board, the average cost of four-year college tuition for the 2005-2006 school...

When savings go down, income protection must go up.
October 1, 2006... It's becoming harder to afford "the basics" in America. Housing, gasoline, and health care costs have skyrocketed in recent years, with no end to the trajectory in sight. As consumers dig deeper into their pockets to maintain lifestyles they've...

The small case for multinational pooling.
October 1, 2006... Advisers unacquainted with "multinational pooling" may envision a multi-ethnic crowd, dressed in traditional garb, diving into an Olympic swimming pool and surrounded by the flags of every nation! Benefits and insurance professionals may...

Leveraging technology to increase the value of your business.
October 1, 2006... In the past several issues we have been discussing basic strategies that you can employ to increase the value of your business in anticipation of a sale sometime in the future. You and your business partners may not be considering a sale of...

STREET SMARTS: Five tips to keep you from crashing your book of auto/home.
October 1, 2006... Don't sell more than you can service. Don't prize commissions over participation. Don't install a plan without a real communications commitment from the client. Those are just a few of the rules to successfully selling group auto/home, brokers...

Cheaper Zocor throws generic market a curveball.
October 1, 2006... A recent change in policy adopted by large pharmaceutical firm Merck to offer greater discounts for its cholesterol-lowering drug Zocor has given employer-clients, pharmacy benefit managers and insurers a tough benefit design decision: Should...

Ruling highlights fiduciary's need for hindsight.
October 1, 2006... A recent decision by a U.S Court of Appeals serves as a sober reminder of ERISA plan fiduciaries' duties and liability concerning a plan's dealings with service providers. In Chao v. Merino, 452 F.3d 174 (2d Cir. 2006), Sandra Briand was...

Cut-rate and cutting edge: More U.S. patients boldly go where medical tourists have gone before.
October 1, 2006... Back surgery in Bangkok? Rhinoplasty in Rio? CT scans in Singapore? In recent years, a few intrepid pioneers made headlines by circumventing the exorbitant U.S. health care system to receive major medical treatment abroad at a fraction of the...

Dealmakers.(MultiPlan Inc. buys Private Healthcare Systems)(Vertafore to acquire BenefitPoint)(LIMRA buys Kenneth Kehrer Associates)
October 1, 2006... *MultiPlan to buy Private Healthcare Systems. Once combined, the company will provide medical network access to more than 40 million Americans. PHCS' CEO Joseph Driscoll says the businesses are complementary and will be able to benefit each...

The Coach's Mailbag: The high cost of technology and low value of brochures.(Mel Schlesinger)
October 1, 2006... Sales consultant Mel Schlesinger is a regular contributor to EBA. He is also a popular coach, traveling the country to help professionals learn how to sell more and sell better. This month, in lieu of a more traditional column, he has decided...

Does the appreciation street run both ways?(Editorial)
October 1, 2006... What makes Minneapolis, Minn.-based RJF Agencies' annual golf tournament (see related story p. 49) - which benefits a different local charity each year - so interesting is that it turns the classic broker-carrier networking equation on its...

Could a virtual assistant save your life?
October 1, 2006... Trying to type out an email or file an expense report while navigating traffic or speeding down the turnpike is not the smartest way to multitask, but for many advisers its necessary given the amount of time they spend in transit. But Virtual...

RJF updates familiar relationship-building theme.(RJF Agencies' outstanding customer service leads to awards)
October 1, 2006... The hits just keep on coming for Minneapolis' RJF Agencies. Not only was Account Executive Lisa Folta named outstanding customer service representative of the year by the Society of Certified Insurance Service Representatives and the Society of...

It is time to get your hands dirty.
October 1, 2006... For many employee benefit consultants "worksite" has historically been a dirty word. Worksite products are individual payroll-deducted products that are 100% employee paid and usually sold one on one at the workplace. They are benefits the...