Susan Rupe is managing editor for InsuranceNewsNet. She formerly served as communications director for an insurance agents' association and was an award-winning newspaper reporter and editor. Contact her at [email protected]
Among group life claimants, mortality rates were up 14% between January and April 2020, said Steve Rulis, vice president and group actuary with Munich Re, with mortality rates spiking during the months of April, November and December.
Diversity is more than simply bringing more people of color into an organization, Derrik Anderson, executive director of Race Matters, said during this week’s NAIFA Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Impact Week.
The life insurance industry has an opportunity to invest in underserved communities while helping remove some of the barriers to those who seek employment in the industry, executives from the American Council of Life Insurers said.
The bottom line in making your company a place where women can succeed and thrive is to ask yourself whether it is a place you would want your mother, your wife or your daughter to work.
Planning for long-term care provides people with choices. And those choices lead to freedom. That philosophy especially rings true in Black and brown households, where family members are more likely to provide care for an aging parent or grandparent. Itâs something that Chris Gandy called âthe brown tax.â
Several bills establishing government-run health programs already have been introduced in Congress. Would they give consumers more options or would they destabilize the market?
Hereâs the dirt on cleaning in an environmentally gentle way.
Shane Westhoelter was in his early 20s, selling life insurance policies with $5,000 and $10,000 death amounts door to door in a small town when he found his âwhy.â
However, the report does not look at premiums for 2020 and 2021, in which average benchmark plans on the exchange started creeping downward, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reported.
This decision to postpone retirement is driven primarily by financial reasons, MetLife said, with respondents citing the top reasons for the delay as a continued need for a monthly income (31%) and that the pandemic has impacted their ability to save (23%).
In addition to providing funding to carry out the Biden administrationâs COVID-19 response plans, the American Rescue Plan contains what Manatt Health called âthe most significant changes to health care coverage and access policies since the passage of the Affordable Care Act.â
Despite Corporate Americaâs interest in diversity, equity and inclusion, the workforces, board rooms and C-suites of many financial services companies are not representative of the communities they serve. Members of a conference panel gave their thoughts on how to turn that situation around.
Many in the insurance industry are holding their collective breath as things get back to normal. A major worry is that deferred care will come crashing through the system by this summer, representing a flood of claims once people are willing to see a doctor again.
The employer sponsored insurance system âhas been popular and resilientâ and is here to stay, a policy think tank expert told attendees at Americaâs Health Insurance Plansâ virtual National Health Policy Conference on Thursday. But he added that it needs to be improved to ensure preservation.
With Democrats holding a razor thin majority in Congress, and with some Democrats having misgivings on expanding the governmentâs role in health care, there is not enough support in Congress for a public option or Medicare buy-in, a consultant said during America’s Health Insurance Plans’ virtual National Health Policy Conference.
America’s Health Insurance Plans, along with the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, launched the Vaccine Community Connectors initiative.
Some items in the American Rescue Plan impact health care and have not attracted as much attention as other provisions, such as $1,400 stimulus checks.
A study shows only about one-third of consumers have a formal written retirement plan in place.
A survey by a health care website shows Americans are uncertain about when we will return to post-COVID-19 life and that many are apprehensive about it
COVID-19 forced insurance companies to take a new approach in how they deal with diversity and inclusion in their workforce, a panel said during a NAILBA discussion.
Health insurance agents and brokers played an important role in getting Americans enrolled in coverage, and they will continue to play a role in the federal health insurance marketplace, according to Jeff Grant, acting director of The Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight.
Lauren Crawford Shaver, executive director of the Partnership for Americaâs Health Care Future, said she believes it is less likely that an expansion of government-run health care will happen this year, given the focus on pandemic relief in Washington.
When it comes to health care, itâs possible that the U.S. can have it all: a system in which universal coverage is affordable in a free market where carriers and brokers compete for business.
Frustration with the current health care system is opening the door for a gradual broadening of our current public programs, NAHUâs CEO said at the associationâs virtual Capitol Conference on Monday.
Of the major health care issues in Washington, lowering the cost of prescription drugs is the issue that enjoys the most bipartisan support, at least ideologically, a political consultant said.
The public option âwould destabilize current insurance markets by creating an unlevel playing field,â says Chris Hartmann, NAHU vice president of congressional affairs. âThis would have the devastating effect of closing hospitals.â
A 130-year-old industry association is looking ahead to the next five years by looking at ways to increase its diversity, foster the growth of the next generation of advisors and raising awareness of financial services as an appealing career among students.
The 2020-21 winter season will be an expensive one for U.S. property/casualty insurers, Moodyâs Investors Service said today. The winter…
As of Dec. 27, 2021, federal law will require health insurance agents and brokers to disclose all commissions to current clients as well as prospects.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, the federal budget act passed by Congress and signed by then-President Donald Trump on Jan. 3, contains a section aimed at commission transparency in health insurance. The law requires health insurance agents and brokers to detail their services as well as their direct and indirect commissions to current and potential clients.
Employer-based coverage will continue to dominate the health insurance landscape in 2021. But the individual health care exchange could gain ground as more workers become freelancers and independent contractors. That was one of 10 trends in health insurance and voluntary benefits discussed during a recent webinar by Aite Group.
Harley Tobon aims to bring professional financial advice to as many people in his Latino community as he can.
Itâs a good time of year to plan your vegetable garden.
Research shows an opportunity for advisors to help people of color catch up with their retirement preparedness.
Last year was a tumultuous year when it came to market volatility and a global pandemic that brought the worldâs economy to its knees. But client needs havenât changed, and people continue to plan for retirement. The result is continued opportunities to present life insurance and annuities to clients, a NAILBA panel said.
Matt Eyles, president and CEO of Americaâs Health Insurance Plans, said that his organization wants to assist the administration in its goals of COVID-19 relief and economic recovery, while calling for health equity in Americaâs communities.
âClients buy life insurance for someone else, but they buy DI for themselves.â — Brokers give their disability insurance perspective and positioning during a NAILBA Engage virtual event.
The report found 82% of older women said they have a plan for retirement income, but only about 1 in 3 has a formal written retirement plan in place. Only 12% of women feel highly knowledgeable about long-term care and only 27% have a plan to fund it, despite the fact that 50% of women expect to require it.
With a Democratic-controlled Senate becoming more of a reality after Tuesdayâs Senate runoff vote in Georgia, Democrats are in charge…
Three of the nationâs biggest names in business â Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan â banded together with the goal of reinventing health care. Three years later, Haven is closing.
The COVID-19 pandemic has inspired advisors and the industry to give back in creative ways.
Gregory Dexter is advising todayâs clients while drawing on his grandfatherâs wisdom.
How brokers can provide their employer clients with benefits that help their workersâ financial health.
A look at INNâs most-read health-related articles for the year showed that long-term care insurance attracted the most reader interest, with two of the five most popular health-related articles devoted to the topic.
Health insurance agents saw a flood of people wanting to sign up for coverage in the 2021 open enrollment period for the Obamacare marketplaces â so many people needing coverage, in fact, that some agents reported they simply ran out of time to help everyone.
The 2021 outlook for the U.S. health insurance industry is stable because the challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic are anticipated to remain manageable, Moody’s Investors Service said in its annual outlook.
Society needs something different from the life insurance industry in the face of the large and growing gaps in protection and savings, an E&Y report said â life insurers must redefine their role if they want to help address these issues and opportunities.
Although the possibility of a public health care option is off the table for now, the individual health insurance market could see some changes under a Biden administration, according to the president of the American Benefits Council.
The Employee Benefit Research Institute and Greenwald Research released results of their 2020 Workplace Wellness Survey, which showed workers are financially stressed since the onset of the pandemic and want their employers to support them in their financial well-being.
A firm that needed a special type of financial planner found just the right person when they hired this military spouse turned advisor.
Take a few minutes to move away from the computer screen and refresh.
Insurance and financial advisors are challenged to find the right partners and brokerage general agencies to work with, said Brian Haney, founder and vice president of The Haney Company in Silver Spring, Md.
A divided Congress due to a presumptive Republican-controlled Senate will translate into legislative gridlock, Fitch Ratings says, and that means the outcome of the 2020 election is neutral to health insurersâ credit profiles.
While President-elect Joe Bidenâs transition team is hitting the ground running in preparation for Jan. 20, the Trump administration could issue some rules now that can be in effect by Inauguration Day â and some of those rules could impact health care.
âSeverabilityâ was the key word as the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday on whether the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional without the individual mandate penalty. Meanwhile, two key U.S. Supreme Court justices indicated they are inclined to keep most of the Affordable Care Act intact even if the court strikes down the provision requiring people to have insurance.
With Republican control of the Senate appearing likely, the Democratsâ hopes for health care, family leave, retirement and tax reforms are scuttled, a Mercer analyst said at a webinar.
Whoever is declared the winner of the presidential election wonât have a clear mandate to accomplish his policy goals, and that includes health care.
How to recognize feelings of anxiety and deal with them appropriately.
Nasdaqâs webinar on âThe Economics Of The 2020 Electionâ presented a variety of views on who would be more favorable to business in the next four years. But there was some agreement on two main issues.
The main difference in health care policies between President Donald Trump and his Democratic opponent Joe Biden centers on Obamacare. But no matter who is elected president in November, the makeup of the new Congress will determine whether his health care agenda is implemented.
Advisors embraced innovation and technology as COVID-19 forced them to engage with clients in new ways. But will they go back to the old ways of doing business? A group of panelists at the Annuity Distribution Summit shared their thoughts.
