Advisor strategies

Workers lack tools and education, leaving them poorly equipped to manage high deductibles and multiple plan choices, says Alegeus executive.

The life insurance and disability income carrier places its technology bet with Boston-based company, Maxwell Health.

With reporting requirements soaring, brokers are turning to their own regulatory division to help clients, says Richard Asensio, director of compliance at Burnham Benefits.

When it comes to plans meant to protect employees from unexpected out-of-pocket expenses, employers see the need. Employees are less enthusiastic.

New medical plans promote primary care and health counseling in an effort to lower employers costs.

A wide breadth of product offerings and more attention to financial wellness are behind the steady increase in voluntary sales, according to LIMRA data.

With employers scrambling to do more with less, support technology is evolving to embrace more functions and brokers’ knowledge base needs to keep pace.

New medical plans promote primary care and health counseling in an effort to lower medical costs.

Consumer prices may be relatively stable overall, but healthcare costs for people 65 and over are rising rapidly.

Providers are looking to bulk up their marketplaces with features that provide employees with more choice, say experts.

Many working with employers to create packages of inexpensive perks, such as generous maternity leaves and sabbaticals, that target millennials.

Already included as core offerings in most employer plans, SEC money market reform will likely make them even more attractive.

Workplace productivity and engagement drops as the number of employees grappling with money challenges skyrockets.

For workers looking at life post-career, steady income is more important than return on investment.

Workers are increasingly turning away from traditional healthcare delivery models in favor of alternatives, according to Oliver Wyman research.

Low satisfaction and high costs are driving consumers away from traditional healthcare delivery models in favor of alternatives.

Number of agents and brokers surging as more insurers rely on independents, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The HealthiestYou application encourages higher levels of utilization with mobile access, greater ease of use, according to benefit advisers.

Integrating telemedicine with voluntary benefits can mean substantial savings for employers and significant opportunities for brokers.

In another ACA irony, carriers seek to discourage sales of money losing policies by denying consumers the professional advice they need, says NAHU president Don Goldmann.