February 2010

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Annuities
Helping Consumers Understand the Value of Fixed Income Annuities
by Holt McGee • By using the pension comparisons to help consumers view annuities as a familiar vehicle, advisors have an opportunity to rebut many common consumer objections and help bring clarity to a valuable, but often misunderstood product.

HSAs
HSA Survey Part II: Constricting Healthcare Costs with HSAs
Find out which HSAs work best for your clients with our Annual survey

Dental
The Benefits of an Effective Dental Disease Management Program
by Dr. David Guarrera • A dental disease management program can help influence employees’ oral health and control healthcare costs by driving healthier behavior.

America’s Healthcare Trends in 2010:
Good Medicine or Bitter Pill?
California’s Changing Healthcare Market: New Products, New Strategies
by Leila Morris • Carriers are offering products that offer more employee cost sharing while searching for ways to keep HMOs available to employer groups.

Staying on Top of Your Game: The Increasing Value of
Continuing Education in a Complex and Competitive Market
by Jennifer Walsh and Thad Roake • The business world is changing quickly across many industries and the health insurance industry is no exception. It can be difficult for even the most seasoned industry experts to keep up in this environment. But there are ways for brokers to stay current and demonstrate their value to clients.

Selling Self-Funding Plans What Makes You Different?
by Stacy Morris, CEDS • By using the HRA/MERP solution, you will show your clients how to put in place a high deductible health plan and partially self-fund benefits accordingly.

Confused by Mini-Med and Fixed Indemnity Plans?
Here’s a Primer For Brokers And Clients
by Tim Adkisson • More businesses will be exploring alternatives to traditional major medical insurance as healthcare costs continue to rise and companies feel increased pressure to cut expenses. For many employers, the alternatives will include limited medical benefit, such as fixed indemnity group products.

Healthcare Reform–Why Push So Hard Now?
by Neil Crosby • Unless Congress is willing to make substantial changes to the bills working their way through the system, this reform effort is not going to accomplish that which was promised. It is up to all of us to talk about the way reform should happen.

Disability
How To Complete A Non-Can Disability Application So
You Can Avoid or Minimize A Lawsuit – Part I
by Art Fries • When the process server issues you the summons, your heart beats faster and you know it’s time to contact your E&O liability insurance company.

Know The Policy Provisions About Offsets To Ensure Your Client’s Disability Plans Pays You What It Should
by Glenn Kantor and Peter Sessions • If your client is entitled to disability benefits through an employer-provided or private plan, you may be surprised to find that their plan has provisions that allow the insurer to deduct, from their benefits, other types of income they receive or are eligible for their disability.

Life Settlements
Sometimes It Is Alright To Settle
by R. Wesley Sierk, III • For the right situation, a life settlement has a significant advantage over traditional alternatives and should be considered. To understand what a life settlement is, you must understand what it is not and how the transaction has evolved.