Benefits Selling Magazine April 2009
Cover Story
Broker of the Year Finalists
Harry S. Truman once said, "Men make history, and not the other way around. In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the
Benefits Newswire
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Employers struggle after layoffs, too
Employers who cut staff in an attempt to create a more efficient business may find the transition period equally challenging, according to a new white paper from Corporate Counseling Associates. The paper, "Some Swim Upstream: Executive and
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Rate of savings declines
While 401(k) participants haven't stopped contributing to their retirement accounts, the average rate of savings has declined by 1.6 percentage points, according to MassMutual. Older participants have made bigger cuts than their younger
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Liberty Mutual IDs absence management best practices
Liberty Mutual has released a new report highlighting 10 best practices for reducing employee absence, based on findings from the 2008 Leadership Series -- Absence Management. The symposium, cosponsored by the Disability Management Employer
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Diet and exercise can help control cancer rates
A new global policy report from the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research found about 45 percent of colon cancer cases and 38 percent of breast cancer cases in the United States can be prevented by maintaining
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Losing your head might get you ahead
Losing your cool at work may not be as bad as previously thought. A study by Harvard Medical School found those who repress frustration are three times as likely to say they've reached their limit, the BBC reports. The team followed 824
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States shifting focus
Some states have turned to minimum loss ratios as a way to lower health insurance premiums, according to NAHU. "The loss ratio refers to the percentage of health insurance premium costs used to pay medical claims rather than administrative
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Strong sales for Lighthouse1
In 2008 Lighthouse1 OnDemand(TM) facilitated over $1.3 billion in reimbursement transactions and processed over 25 million claims. The company started 2009 with nearly 2 million consumers using their Web-based administrative platform.
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EEOC proposes genetic discrimination rules
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission proposed new rules that would bar employers from using a potential employee's genetic predisposition to a disease as a factor in work status, according to Workforce Management. The proposal is up
Feature Content
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Diversify
Diversification is the key to maximizing profitability in today's insurance market. The ability to present a comprehensive portfolio of solutions allows agents to establish a trusted advisor relationship with clients, so they will seek out the
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Gasp! Consider replacing major medical with a limited medical plan?
In my opinion, this year's Super Bowl was one of the best in the championship's history. I am always amazed that you can watch an event that flaunts the excess and capitalism of America so profoundly and also come away with some of
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Your passport to international benefits
As a carrier representative of international health plans, I often ask myself what brokers want. How can I help them? And what my products can do for them. Over the last five years in this business I have determined brokers want differentiation from
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A simple plan
Plain and simple, today's health care costs in the United States are too high. In 2008, they amounted to about $2.2 trillion or 16.2 percent of the gross national product.
Employers Speak Out
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What kind of legal plan does your company offer?
"I teach part-time at a community college. They offer legal as a voluntary benefit for full time employees. As a part-time employee, I can't take advantage of the benefit but if I had the chance I would probably enroll. Almost every
Top Ten Selling
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Nothing more than feelings?
There are some excellent automobile salespeople. Perhaps not as many as in other professions, but some very good ones ply their trade. Or perhaps, since the car-buying experience is one during which we expect to be yanked around from the start, a
Special Feature
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2009 supplemental medical insurance source list
Click to view the supplemental medical insurance Source List.
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Sounding off on ARRA
The bill is law. Now the scramble to interpret the 1,071-page behemoth is well under way. The $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, signed into law by President Barack Obama in Denver on Feb. 17, contains $137 billion in health care
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Build a brand
Use high-deductibles health plans to attract high-net-worth clients. Using health insurance to open doors to life insurance or financial planning opportunities is not a new concept. For years, savvy agents have led with health products to create
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Wellness: Now more than ever
"We are going to have to do more with less." "We are going to have to tighten our belts this year." "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." "It's time to put our nose to the
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The key to consumer engagement in health care
In today's wild and wooly health care environment, one thing is sure; we need to make some changes to our traditional marketing strategy to survive. On the one hand, our current delivery system, without substantive change, will be unable to
Tech Talk
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Making online enrollment work - a case study
Technology and benefits enrollment remain pervasive in our industry. We read about enrollment software technology making life easier for brokers, and using avatars as virtual salespeople. We know that enrollment software technology works to improve
Exit Interview
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What you should know about HR
Employees are a company's biggest asset and biggest liability. Well-trained employees are the key to company success. It is important to define what is expected of employees. A welcoming environment is important to employee
Storeylines
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Obama's even more popular than health care reform
It's the economy, stupid. Way back in 1992 - when a recession meant a minor financial setback, not a retirement reboot - Bill Clinton rode that phrase all the way into the White House. But as the market bleeds jobs and gobbles up
On Second Thought
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Health literacy: What you don't know can hurt
I just finished reading The Associate, the latest of John Grisham's 22 bestsellers. A former attorney who now writes legal thrillers, Grisham has had a career most writers can only dream of. The secret to his success? It's simple:
Beyond the Beltway
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Look under the hood of COBRA reform
While comprehensive, national health care reform looms in the long corridors of the White House and Capitol Hill, federal officials have responded to the current loss of jobs (and health insurance) with emergency measures. The American Recovery and
Competitive Advantage
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Defense wins
As this is written, it is the interminable period of time before the Super Bowl, and those of us who are sports fans have doubtless heard the truism "defense wins championships." As I pondered this, it came to me that there is a
