Voluntary Benefits

AmTrust Financial Services Inc. said Tuesday that it is buying a fellow insurer, privately held Sequoia Insurance Co., for about $60 million as it seeks to bolster growth.

Health insurer WellPoint Inc. will revisit a tumultuous 2012 that included a CEO resignation and choppy earnings when it releases results on Wednesday from last year's final quarter.

UnitedHealth Group Inc.'s fourth-quarter net income slipped 1 percent, as a rise in costs from medical claims and other expenses countered revenue gains for the nation's largest health insurer.

The Principal has introduced critical illness insurance as one of the voluntary benefits it offers to help employees fill the gap in financial protection.

UnitedHealth Group Inc. will give investors their first sense for whether major health insurers have been bitten by an intense flu season when it reports fourth-quarter results Thursday.

WellPoint Inc.'s acquisition of fellow health insurer Amerigroup will help the company's business in a Medicaid market primed for growth, but it still faces challenges from the health care overhaul's upcoming coverage expansions, according to a Goldman Sachs analyst.