All too often we get caught up in day-to-day activities and forget who it is that we ultimately serve: employees. Without employees signing up for benefits, querying accounts, using services provided and generally trying to take care of themselves and their families, we wouldn't have businesses to run. To bring this point home, I offer the following composite sketches (based on anecdotes from brokers, vendors and employers) - oh to be a fly on the wall ...

Your sales organization has a mix of players. Some are great, some OK and some, well, not making the grade. Yours is like many - but not all - organizations. Not all employees are titans, but that's what your goal should be. This column will look at profiling employees into three categories. It is about improving the ranks of superstars and changing out substandard players. We want to create a stronger army for you with higher productivity and profits.

If you are looking for an idea that can capture the attention of employers, consider helping them provide employees the means to bridge the gaps in their medical plan. I have identified five distinct gaps that, if addressed, can create a huge sales opportunity for group health agents.

How are breakthrough innovations created? What is the process and can it be replicated or facilitated? These are the fundamental questions tackled by Frans Johansson in his seminal book, "The Medici Effect."

As new retirement fee disclosures go into effect this summer, a coalition of 15 retirement industry groups are urging the Department of Labor to allow broader use of electronic communication for retirement plan participant disclosures, which are now mailed in paper form to plan participants.

Susan Bianco is a woman on a mission. Since starting her own business in Cleveland almost 25 years ago, she has achieved considerable sales success and is a member of the Million Dollar Round Table. Having achieved six Top of the Table qualifications from MDRT, Bianco spoke with EBA about how others can duplicate her success at Benefit Enrollment Services, Inc. Her accomplishments are not all business-related; Bianco also serves on the board of directors for Opera Cleveland and served as president of the Women's City Club of Cleveland for four years.Susan Bianco shares her path to success

Leading insurance carriers have withdrawn from the group long-term care insurance market, prompting employers to think twice about implementing new programs — are we witnessing the death throes of worksite LTC?

Despite employees reporting a strong interest in their company vision program, today's workforce isn't taking full advantage of the coverage - especially baby boomers.

The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act with the individual mandate being upheld under the Congressional power of taxation.

A sharply divided Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the centerpiece of President Barack Obama's signature health care overhaul law that requires that most Americans get insurance by 2014 or pay a financial penalty.

At 2 p.m. EST tomorrow experts will provide insight on the fate of the mandate for individuals to purchase health coverage, and the finding on the constitutionality of PPACA as a whole. Sign up for the web seminar which will be held hours after the decision is released.

There is no shortage of opinions when it comes to the future of health insurance in the United States. And, opinions were readily shared this week at America’s Health Insurance Plans Institute 2012 in Salt Lake City. Connecture Inc., a sales automation technology provider in the health insurance space, conducted a survey of the health insurance executives at the conference, and made a number of conclusions, including:

Over the last 20 years, the percentages of households that will not be ready for retirement at age 65 has nearly doubled to 50%, according to recent data from the National Retirement Risk Index.

Private and public health care exchanges can bring tremendous value to the marketplace if they follow certain examples, said a speaker at the NAHU annual convention in Las Vegas Monday.

The National Association of Health Underwriters opened its annual convention and exhibition Sunday in Las Vegas with a look back and words of optimism toward the future.

There is a lot riding on the Supreme Court’s health reform decision for all stakeholders. Brokers and consultants need to be prepared to advise their clients, says EBA Advisory Board member Mark Gaunya, who highlights what you should be thinking about while we wait for the decision.

Eric Cantor pulls no punches about what Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives will do to "Obamacare" if the Supreme Court leaves any of President Barack Obama's health care reform law intact.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is that cliché describing what we typically do. We tend to react to things that are broken rather than anticipate and deal with things before they’re totally broken. Tom Peters eloquently coined the expression “the enemy of great is good” in his best seller Good to Great. How does this apply to all of us in the employee benefits business? It doesn’t matter if you are a producer, account…

Investors could be excused for avoiding health insurance and hospital stocks as a U.S. Supreme Court decision nears on President Barack Obama's health care overhaul law — an outcome that could send the companies' shares down 10% or more.

Republican Mitt Romney last week laid out his vision for a "consumer market" health care approach to replace President Barack Obama's sweeping reform law, whether or not the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the legislation this month.