Voluntary Benefits

Of all the benefits available to independent brokers, the employee assistance program seems to be the most neglected. Most brokers do not understand the complex behavioral health care needs of the employers they serve or the differences among the

Editor First, I am really impressed by the weekly online [newsletter]. Your columns are always provocative and informative, and overall the look, topics and timeliness are excellent. I have asked [our] department to work with Business Selling

o 42.8 percent of U.S. companies offer some kind of consumer-driven health care product. o 61 percent of U.S. companies offer some kind of adoption assistance. o 86.1 percent of U.S. companies offer mail-order

o 93 percent of insurance companies faced at least one lawsuit in the past year. o 33 percent faced more than 20 legal actions. o 54 percent reported facing at least one $20 million (or greater) lawsuit.

The financial condition of the lower, middle and upper middle class has slipped lately as evidenced by climbing home foreclosure rates. In reality there has been a negative trend for decades: The average savings rate continues its decline, reaching

The balancing act baffles employers, brokers, consultants, providers, TPAs and anyone else associated with the employee benefits industry: How do you manage benefit costs while attracting and retaining top-quality talent? Prudential Financial Inc.