Benefits Selling Magazine August 2011
Cover Story
Some surveys are more equal than others
A number theorist might not even understand all the figures being thrown out from every consulting firm these days. Depending on who’s telling you, health reform will be responsible for employers dropping health coverage in record numbers, thus forcing employees to leave their “cushy” plans; it will be responsible for...
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Storeylines
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Blame it on the five-percenters
It’s really easy to toss numbers around. I know that. And, apparently, so do the nerds over at McKinsey and Co.
Employers Speak Out
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Hands across America’s waist: obesity epidemic spreads
More than 72 million U.S. adults are obese
Benefits Newswire
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NAIC backs away from MLR bill
Disheartening some brokers, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners has backed away from supporting a congressional bill that could exclude insurance agent compensation from medical loss ratio calculations.
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More docs leaving private practice for health systems
U.S. physicians continue to sell their private practices and seek employment with health care systems, according to a new Accenture survey.
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Study: Most Americans have no financial plan for the unexpected
Six out of ten American workers do not have a financial plan in place to deal with an unexpected and costly life event such as a medical emergency, according to a new national study from Aflac.
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Report: 5 percent responsible for half of US spending
About 5 percent of the population is responsible for almost half of all health care spending in the United States and for rising premium rates, according to a new report from the National Institute for Health Care Management Foundation.
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Paid sick days reduce health costs
A new study from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research finds that giving employees access to paid sick days reduces visits to hospital emergency rooms, saving $1 billion every year.
Feature Content
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Stop-loss becomes a go
Ten years ago, benefits self-funding — and the stop-loss coverage that typically accompanies it — was a world occupied mainly by large employers.
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Make communication a part of your strategy
As the competitive landscape for benefits brokers gets tougher, effectively communicating benefits strategies with clients—and helping them better communicate those strategies with their employees— becomes even more critical.
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Bad business or bad reform?
So let’s bring up health care again: No matter how you look at it, some employers are dropping employee coverage, or they plan to, or fear it’s going to happen. And everyone involved is fearing it, too. But was reform legislation really the tipping point, or is it—and always has...
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Say goodbye to commissions?
Between the latest commission regulations and uncertain employer attitudes, brokers are looking at a new health insurance landscape, and many are wondering if there's still a place for them in the market.
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Making a mountain out of McKinsey
What these analysts ignore, however, are other factors that would significantly increase the true costs of terminating coverage. For instance, an employer would have to increase wages to make up for revoking coverage or risk losing some of its most valuable employees. The tax consequences of this wage increase and...
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TPAs find a silver lining
It’s been a rough couple of years for insurance agents – best case, health reform will drastically change the way brokers do business; worst case, brokers might have their commissions slashed and find that the new insurance exchanges can quickly and easily perform many of the services they offer clients...
What's Next
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Recession hampers voluntary sales
In last month’s column, we looked at overall voluntary sales for 2010. In this edition, we analyze the results further by looking at product line sales as well as platform.
Competitive Advantage
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Vendorship vs. partnership
One of the bright spots in Omaha, Neb., every June is the College World Series. It’s a great sporting event that attracts thousands from around the country, including dozens of brokers who specialize in selling benefits.
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Optimism is a broker's best bet
Health care reform is bringing dramatic changes to our industry, our profession and our businesses. No breaking news there.
On Second Thought
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Should employers drop coverage in 2014?
In June, giant consulting firm McKinsey & Co. released a report declaring 30 percent of employers are likely to drop their health coverage in 2014 as a result of health care reform.
Source List
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TPA Source List
TPA Source List
Exit Interview
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Cook: What I've learned
Troy J. Cook, vice president-client account executive Marsh U.S. Consumer, Urbandale, Iowa
Resource Center
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10 Years, 10 Catalysts of Change in Benefits
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