Aflac has introduced to help consumers mitigate costs of theirhealth plans. BenExtend combines accident, hospital indemnity andcritical illness. The intention is to give employers another optionto help manage costs while helping employees manage out-of-pocket expenses. The plan will beavailable to businesses with 100 or more eligible employees.

"Simply put, BenExtend provides a next-level benefits strategybecause it acts as a solution first and a product second,"Stephanie Shields, vice president of Product Innovation andMarketing at Aflac said in a press release. "BenExtend answers thecall of our broker partners and employers who seek to offerbenefits that adapt to evolving employee lifestyles while alsocontaining costs."

Features of the plan include:

• Health advocacy and bill negotiation service

• High, middle and low options are available to accommodate avariety of client benefits budgets

• Insureds can enroll in coverage regardless of their healthstatus with no underwriting questions

• No waiting period for benefits to be paid

• Designed with health savings account (HSA) compatibility inmind