Newsmakers

• HR executives hope to help employees manage their finances during a recession

  The threat of a recession loomed before employers for some time, but they were unsure how to "recession-proof" their benefit plans and, for the most part, received little guidance on the subject from benefit advisers. Now, almost overnight, businesses are dealing with the reality of an economic downturn and the challenges that come with it.

• Titanic collision atop the brokerage ranks may create room, opportunity

  Some say the Willis/HRH union will force the new entity to move further up market, revealing small and mid-market employer opportunities for the ranks of reputable independents and upstarts that could result from the mega-deal.

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• Raw Bar: Retirement automation continues to spread

  New research from Deloitte shows that more and more employers are getting on the automation bandwagon. The number of companies with automatic enrollment has doubled in just the last few years, according to the consultancy. Automatic deferral increases are also gaining popularity. Listen in as Deloitte's Mark Dzierzak goes behind the numbers, identifying what they mean for advisers, employers and individual savers.

• Raw Bar: Major employers bearish on medical tourism

  That's just one of the themes in this week's Raw Bar. Listen in as the National Business Group on Health's Helen Darling talks about new research, detailing how major employers are smart enough to know that workers won't be rushing to fly half-way around the world for surgery, regardless how much they might save in the process.

• Check out our new benefits blog!

  We are launching a new blog at the Benefits Group called the "Daily Diversion," employeebenefitnews.blogspot.com. We're also closing out EBA's Adviser of the Year contest and the "Best" Group Vision Rep contest.

• Raw Bar: Medical trend increases expected to get larger

  The medical trend rate, while growing each year, hasn't been escalating as fast recently. For the last five years, each annual jump has been a little bit smaller than the previous one. That's expected to end in 2009. Listen in as Robert Laszewski, president of Health Policy and Strategy Associates, discusses the underlying fundamentals and why he thinks things will change soon. He also shares some of his thoughts and analysis on recent congressional happenings, most importantly the chamber's decision to block a 10% Medicare fee cut for doctors.

• Raw Bar: Retirement readiness benchmark jumps

  New research from Hewitt recommends workers strive to have 125% of their pre-retirement income to deal with uncertainties like health care and inflation when trying to maintain a familiar lifestyle during the "golden years." Listen in as the consultancy's Alison Borland talks about how Hewitt came to the number and what employers and advisers can do to make the figure a little less scary for workers.

• Raw Bar: Don't underestimate the power of consumerism

  Make sure to check out our conversation with Robert Laszewski, he's a health policy guru extraordinaire and he runs a consulting firm inside D.C.'s infamous beltway. While it takes awhile for us to get there, eventually the point is made during our conversation with him that the average American's current gas price fixation and the speed with which it is bringing about changes in our automobile manufacturing sectors as well as other markets is a clear reminder of how potent an engaged consumer class could be in wrangling health care costs. The successful strategy for tapping that power is what remains elusive. Check out what else is fresh this week on EBA's Raw Bar…

• Language arts: New book aims to teach HR conversational finance

  It is often said that knowledge is power and Joe Knight co-author of the new book Financial Intelligence for HR Professionals believes that opening up the books to workers across an organization engenders a more powerful workforce.

• Is one vision rep as good as the next?

  We're trying to ferret out the industry's best again. This time we're focusing on group vision. Just like dental and disability there are dozens of carriers in the market, but are the bonds betwixt broker and rep as strong in vision? How important is rep service on this product line? Those are just some of the questions we're trying answer.

• Raw Bar: NYC's rebating debate and more

  Make sure to check out our conversation with Dan Colacino, who serves as president of the New York state association of health underwriters. He and his group have just concluded a series of seminars with the state insurance agency on the issue of rebating. While sparks were expected, it seems tempers were kept in check.

• Raw Bar: Lazy brokers, easy pickings for vigilant advisers

  Make sure to check out our interview with Jim Edholm of Business Benefits Insurance. He outlines how he continues to pick off clients with his simple, back-to-basics approach to service -- he just doesn't get lazy (or at least he tries not to).

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• Best companies for benefits go one-on-one

  Principal's latest iteration of its annual "10 best companies for employee financial security" offers advisers and brokers several guideposts for helping their clients get recognition.

• Uninsured don't inflate insured premiums much

  New research from a trio of health policy experts questions the commonly held belief that the insured cover the cost of the uninsured through cost shifting.

• Alabama fights fat, media with new screening program

  Alabama's effort to expand its health screening program has taken over the Web recently. And while most outlets pounced on the "fees for fat" angle, the program's steward says the media frenzy got it all wrong.

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