Do you remember reading this column’s headline in this magazinejust over two years ago? I do. Credit the headline toDenis Storey’s interview of Tracy Dieterich in the March 2009issue. It’s available on the BenefitsPro.com in case youmissed it.

It’s a classic. For years I have kept a “think about…” list, andmany times it has helped think through to winning solutions Thismonth, we’ll consider the opportunity to think about the future ofthe benefits business. There are no answers here, but plenty tothink about. Those of you with the best answers will have acompetitive edge.

1) Working seniors. It seems prettyclear that many people will continue working past age 65, and thebenefit world is not very friendly to that age group (life and longterm disability plans reduce benefits, have higher premiums, orboth; medical plans shunt them into Medicare and Supplementsthereto; AD&D and critical illness plans might terminate orreduce in value; prices for nearly every benefit plan are higher;and so on). Employers are likely to be seeking voluntaryproduct packages that respond to the needs of this expandingmarket, and will need innovative advice on design of benefits.