Employee Benefit Adviser articles from October 2007

Employee Benefit Adviser archives from October 2007

Tweak could take fright out of HSAs.
October 1, 2007... In January 2005 I took a leap of faith and left a traditional PPO for a health savings account. I moved from a $500 family deductible to a $4,800 family deductible. Even today, looking at that deductible is an eye opener. Making that jump in...

Advisers find onsite fitness fits employers' needs.
October 1, 2007... Corporate wellness is much more than random actions aimed to improve employee behaviors. Wellness efforts have become a strategic, unified and branded effort to measure where the health of an employee population is and where it needs to be to...

Past is prologue for employers eyeing consumer-driven health plans: The best way to ensure a successful CDH program is by anticipating how employees will react and the only way to do that is through careful planning.
October 1, 2007... In theory, it seems like it would work: put employees in charge of their health care and they'll make educated decisions. In practice, it takes more than a good plan design to make that happen. Emotion can cloud good judgment. Research takes...

Door opens for registered adviser entry into small plan market.
October 1, 2007... Registered investment advisers are becoming a powerful force in the small plan 401(k) plan market says a new study by Boston-based Financial Research Corporation. The study, "Keys to Success in the Small-Business Retirement Market," shows that...

New scorecard aims to help fiduciaries grade asset allocation funds.
October 1, 2007... So-called target-date and target-risk asset allocation funds portend to make investing easier for 401(k) participants, but the proliferation of these products in recent years can make choosing which to offer a headache for sponsors. ...

Voluntary retiree benefits booming for some, bleak for others.
October 1, 2007... Some people believe retiree benefits are really starting to take off, but others feel the market is stagnant - even though these opinions present opposite views, both may be right. Like most things, your view of an issue all depends on where...

Some advisers starting to listen to the benefits hearing riders offer their clients.
October 1, 2007... The American workplace continues to gray, day-by-day and month-by-month. The average age of U.S. workers will continue to climb and with it will the incident of sensory-related medical care and productivity loss. The issue is compounded by...

iPhones put health records in hand.
October 1, 2007... Philosophers say a new idea is simply two old ideas finally meeting up. Now, consumers and physicians, especially those who embrace health information technology, can see this aphorism in the form of electronic medical records on the iPhone....

His corner of the world: Having accomplished nearly everything there is to do.
October 1, 2007... The journey that led Tim Thomas to become an independent pharmacy management consultant and to start his own company, Pharmacy Benefits Advantage, was unique. He hopes his experience working in both clinical pharmacy as well as pharmacy...

URAC's seal of approval.
October 1, 2007... Look for the URAC seal of approval the next time you are in the market for a pharmacy benefit manager for your client. The independent non-profit, best known for its accreditation and certification programs, has developed voluntary standards...

Lessons unlearned?
October 1, 2007... While the industry still has at least part of one foot in the contingent commission controversy and the other squarely in the retirement plan fee debate, it looks like yet a third leg is ready to step into another compensation scandal. ...

Questionable coverage: While experts differ on whether fiduciary breach lawsuits will spread or retrench, others urge some advisers to exit the market altogether.
October 1, 2007... Despite the fact that fiduciaries have exited what one exec describes as the worst period in the history of the market, this is no time for rest. A knee-jerk reaction to the rise of the company-stock fiduciary breach case as well as the...

You don't have to outrun the bear.(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Fiduciary liability insurance is rare and it's designed for employers. Most advisers think their errors and omissions policies will protect them. Chances are they won't. Insurance really isn't the issue. These cases will continue simply because...

Fiduciary regulatory review.
October 1, 2007... Jessica Flores, managing director of Fiduciary Risk Management, says advisers should carefully consider the following sections of ERISA when reviewing their own status or the status of their liability coverage... ERISA Section 409 - The...

Building lasting client relationships: Advisers are adding new services to win long-term trust. Today's employers look for specific attributes that categorize you as a broker.
October 1, 2007... In the past, benefit advisers were expected to pop into a benefit manager's office once a year, spreadsheet in hand, and cheerfully announce the new health plan rates. Those days are fading. Brokers are embracing new business models to...

Drop the flyers and build a better business one referral at a time.
October 1, 2007... To say Paul McCord has some experience in sales would be an understatement - he has been in some form of sales, sales management or sales training for 28 years. As a sales person he has spent the vast majority of his career in the financial...

It is time to start planning for the long-term success of your business.
October 1, 2007... Even advisers who have a firm handle on growing their business now, need to ask themselves honest questions about the future of their company. Employee Benefit Adviser asked advisers to chime in on what they are doing to keep their business...

Tech trends open up enrollment options for advisers and their clients.
October 1, 2007... As the annual benefits enrollment season is now kicking into high gear, it seemed timely to discuss how to improve the process and increase employee understanding of and participation in their benefits program. When many benefits advisers...

Adviser interest in medical tourism likely to grow as industry strengthens.
October 1, 2007... Around the globe, countries like Singapore, Thailand, India, Korea and Costa Rica are pouring money into health care facilities in preparation for medical tourism to take flight. Meanwhile, advisers at home are trying to plot the trajectory of...