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January 2009

Cover Story

The economy - officially recognized as mired in recession just last month

Jim Davidson, president of EOI Service Co. Inc., remains as upbeat as ever. Not that he isn’t concerned about what he’s sees going on around him — growing layoffs, falling home values and nervous employees — but...

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Feature Content

Navigate the perfect storm with segmentation
These days, managing small group health insurance can be an unhealthy business proposition for independent, small and regional insurance agencies. While some agencies are thriving, others feel the impact of commissions that have decreased or...

At ease
Long-term care insurance is becoming an increasingly popular benefit at the worksite. Whether a company includes it as a voluntary option, purchases a base plan for everyone, or has an executive program, LTCI will continue to be a popular...

Special Feature

Selling HSAs - Getting the buy in
I’ve been in the health insurance business for the past 20 years and have seen its evolution from the front lines. From the advent of health maintenance organizations, preferred provider organizations and exclusive provider organizations to...

Congress adds mental health parity to bailout bill
On Oct. 3, 2008, President Bush signed into law the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 as part of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. This act will have a significant impact on...

The (6.1) million HSA march
With the election of Barack Obama as the next President of the United States and a Congressional shift in power that favors the Democratic Party, there are certainly many questions regarding how the new political environment will affect health care...

The hard way: A better way to receive health care
There is no easy fix for health care, but that doesn’t mean it’s all doom and gloom for the benefits market. ...

Selling CDHCs in the Golden State
A California Perspective It’s 6 a.m. on another beautiful day in Southern California sometime in 2003. I get out my long board, strap it to my SUV and head off to Malibu. I should be able to hit a few waves and then get back to the...

Sections

Columns

On Second Thought

Do people really change?

The United States is a nation full of risk takers. Some people climb mountains; others race cars; and others jump out of perfectly good airplanes. But why do people take chances, especially when the obvious risks greatly outweigh any conceivable...

Beyond the Beltway

Congress considers relief for plan sponsors

The country inaugurates President-elect Barack Obama this month and swears in a shored-up Democratic majority in Congress. On their first day of work, these lawmakers will inherit an economy reeling from job losses, market volatility and a global...

Competitive Advantage

Ideas to consider this year

As 2009 swings in and the dust of the renewal season clears, it’s time to start making plans for success in the new year. What ideas can we consider to help us gain a competitive edge? First, let’s divide our thinking into the various...

Storeylines

Stats reveal selling, not educating

I had a professor in j-school who loved to explain that “you can’t spell news without new.” The joke got old fast. But most of what passes for news these days rarely meets that barest of litmus tests: “Economists officially...

Exit Interview

Connie Shadley

Connie Shadley President, Proflex HR Solutions We’ve found ourselves in interesting times: the worst recession in nearly three decades, a virtual sea change in Washington and a host of other issues. How are employees reacting? Employees,...

Top Ten Selling

You want me to sell what . . . to whom?

My career in sales began in a logging camp high in the hills of North Georgia. Fresh out of college with a bachelor of fine arts degree in painting and drawing, I was making my first sales call as a Motorola rep . Locked in my car, dressed in a suit...

Departments

Source List

LTCI Source List

LTCI Source List...

Benefits Newswire

Businesses look for new compensation programs

Businesses are re-evaluating their compensation and incentive plans in light of the brave, new economy we live in. A study by Towers Perrin found nearly half of companies are likely to reduce pay and merit increase budgets, while 39 percent are...

Principal releases long-term financial guide

Principal Financial Group is offering a free analysis to help business owners address planning problems in their long-term financial goals. The program addresses some of the most common gaps business owners can face: Retirement Gap: A...

MetLife enhances small business products

MetLife announced it’s launching enhanced insurance products targeting small employers. The enhancements are designed to provide more flexibility for small companies. Some enhancements on life, dental and disability products include:...

Benefit Advisors Network names newest member

Progressive Benefit Solutions recently joined the Benefit Advisors Network. The Raleigh, N.C.-based company provides group insurance benefits to various industries, including manufacturing, biotech/pharma, physician groups and...

Creative Marketing offers custom Web platform

Creative Marketing has launched a Web-based marketing system, FlexQuotes, to help agents’ clients browse, select and apply for life and health insurance products. The products are determined, represented and customized by the agent to meet the...

VSP reaches out to Latino community

VSP recently launched a Spanish language Web site to help educate the Latino community about their unique health risks, as well as help locate doctors. The Web site includes all components of the English Web site, but also features eye health...

Keith Ambachtsheer

The Employee Benefit Research Institute has selected Keith Ambachtsheer, director of the Rotman International Centre for Pension Management (ICPM) at the University of Toronto, as recipient of the 2010 EBRI Lillywhite Award. The honor recognizes outstanding lifetime contributions to Americans’ economic security. The award is named for Ray Lillywhite, a pioneer in the pension field who for decades guided state employee pension plans, and who retired from Alliance Capital in 1992 after a 55-year career in the pension and investment field. “Over the decades, [Ambachtsheer] has benefited millions of future retirees by helping fiduciaries enhance benefit security and hold plan expenses to the lowest possible level, since every dollar of expense is ultimately one less dollar available for the payment of retirement benefits,” said Dallas Salisbury, president and CEO of EBRI.

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