Voluntary

Intending to combat the cost of absenteeism, workplace disruptions or a significant change in productivity due to an employee with child or elder care worries, employers are starting to offer Care.com's Workplace Solutions as an employee benefit. Distributable through brokers, the online platform and consulting service helps families find every day, back-up and occasional care across the U.S.

The 1988 Paralympic Games in South Korea changed my outlook on disability - and ultimately helped shift the focus of my group benefits career to disability income insurance and instilled a strong belief in an advocacy-based approach.

Employees know very little about disability coverage. But when they learn about it, they often want the coverage and are willing to pay for it, recent surveys find. The Consumer Federation of America and Unum national survey of 1,200 employees finds that only 13% know "a lot" about disability insurance, and less than half (47%) know what its benefits are.

Sedentary office workers, including busy HR practitioners, may want to stand up to absorb some provocative news published in the online medical journal BMJ Open: Most Americans could live two years longer on average if they’d spend less than three hours a day sitting.

When employees of Huntington Ingalls Industries subsidiary AMSEC LLC say they’ve lost a ton of weight, they’re not kidding.

Prudential Group will discontinue sales of new group long-term care insurance policies effective Aug. 1, 2012, except in Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana and South Dakota, where it will continue for a period as required by state law. In March, the carrier announced that it would discontinue the sale of individual LTC products to focus solely on its group line.

Voluntary accidental death and dismemberment coverage received the highest rating (43%) from leading carriers selecting it as a ‘very profitable’ product line, according to The Frontline Report, Worksite/Voluntary Product Trends 2012.

Today, this one market is estimated to be a $40 billion industry in the United States, says EBA contributor Sam Fleet. He shares in today’s BeAdvised why approaching this market with a broader view can provide an opportunity for brokers to adapt their business models and thrive, especially as the new health care landscape takes shape.

In the first half of the year, the MIB Life Index is up 2.8% year-to-date (YTD) compared to the same six months last year.

Life insurance coverage calculators earned low marks in a recent analysis by the Customer Respect Group, which suggests that more can be done to help consumers determine adequate coverage levels.