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  • Offering vision insurance won't mean it's used

    National health insurance may not substantially broaden access to vision care, according to a new study from the August issue of Archives of Ophthalmology. An executive summary noted that "although health insurance is associated with increased use of preventive services and recommended treatments," simply making it available to all citizens may not increase the percentage of individuals who use these services or improve vision-related outcomes.

  • LTC costs continue to swell

    New research should make it a little easier for advisers to make the case for long-term care coverage, as Prudential reports that the average cost of care -- depending on type --grew between 5% and 13% over the last two years.

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  • Eastbridge perplexed by critical illness findings

    Worksite carriers appear to have unrealistically high sales expectations for critical illness coverage, according to the Voluntary Product Trends study that Eastbridge Consulting. conducts every other year.

  • All eyes on LTC this November

    While March and September are devoted to promoting greater national awareness of disability and life insurance benefits, respectively, a similar effort is unfolding to do the same for long-term care insurance in November.

  • Tough times cast light on worksite market

    The watering down of a generous perk at one of the nation's most beloved corporate brands has academics and industry observers alike talking about the virtues of voluntary benefits.

  • Reassessing non-insurance voluntary in light of an economic downturn

    Non-insurance voluntary products are hard to miss, they're flashy and smart, but are those qualities enough to get clients on board? Products like legal benefits and pet insurance, to name a few, have been cropping up everywhere, but a saturated market may not be a sure sign of success.

  • Catalyzing LTC Sales

    The number of benefit brokers and advisers saying they're expecting long-term care insurance sales success continues to diminish, falling from 11% in 2006 to 5% this year. Meanwhile the percentage of brokers expecting to increase their LTC business through "greater effort" is also dipping with 27% saying as much in 2006 and 2007, but just 22% saying so this year.

  • Rising gas prices have employers thinking hard about schedules, commuting issues

    Even employers are not immune from the nation's soaring gas prices. "This is going to be our second round with offering our employees help with gas prices," says Louis Basso, president of The Alcott Group, a New York-based HR consulting firm for small and mid-sized employers.

  • Funeral services fit in a grim economic climate

    With food prices, gas prices, foreclosures and general credit issues employees have a lot to be worried about. That's why Marcy Foster, director of HR for Arlington County, Va. added four financial advisers to her HR staff this year to help support the needs of employees and also expanded the internal employee assistance staff.

  • STD leads voluntary product growth

    Short-term disability (STD) policies account for the largest percentage of voluntary benefit sales, totaling an estimated $820 million, according to Eastbridge Consulting's 2008 Voluntary Short-Term Disability Plans Spotlight Report.

  • Need for legal benefits could be increasing

    More than one-fourth of the working population needed legal advice during the past year, and the number of large companies offering group legal plans rose to 33% in 2007, a 6% increase from 2006, according to a study by Workplace Options.

  • Linking wellness and voluntary funding

    Payroll deduction has proven to be a powerful employee motivational tool in meeting health and wellness goals at Nature's Sunshine Products Inc., a Provo, Utah-based manufacturer of herbal and vitamin supplements with 500 full-timers and 75 part-timers.

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