GREGORY & APPEL FOCUSES ON THE HUMAN ELEMENT    Employee benefits, wellness, and human resources consulting are value-added services Employee benefits count—and employers spend more time than they like counting up the steadily increasing costs of group health insurance. Making sense of the numbers, however, is just the first step in building an effective employee benefits strategy, say the executives of Gregory & Appel Insurance, Inc., in Indianapolis. At Gregory & Appel, employee benefits and related services such as wellness and human resources consulting are an important component of the agency's "deliverables" to its clients, says President Dan Appel. And the agency delivers much more than a package of benefits products to its clients, he says. It delivers a strategy. "Employee benefits are one of our core competencies," Appel explains. "It is a key strategic part of our deliverables to our clients. As in our property/casualty insurance practice, we take a consultative approach to employee benefits and focus on helping our clients understand their specific issues and build a strategy that meets their business needs." Click here for the complete article …

WELLNESS AT MGM    Three properties partner with Wellness Coaches MGM Resorts has launched a pilot wellness program at three of its Las Vegas-based properties: New York New York, MGM Grand and The Mirage. Under the program, employees will have access to on-site coaches who will provide one-on-one coaching sessions, either by appointments or on-demand during regular office hours. MGM partnered with Wellness Coaches USA, Bluebell, Pennsylvania, to provide the service "because of their long-standing commitment to the health, safety and productivity of employees," according to John Socha, MGM director of health care operations. "We found the model of having somebody on-site and proactive is more highly effective than being passive, especially in our fast-paced industry." He adds that the pilot properties "each have the opportunity to help pave the way for future health and wellness programs at sister properties." In addition to one-on-one coaching, coaches also host monthly healthful living events for employees and frequently attend pre-shift meetings. "Attending pre-shifts is an important way to meet employees," New York New York Wellness Coach Joe Gassler points out. "The staff and employees have really taken me in; it feels like I've always been a part of the team." Joe, who is a certified nutritionist and athletic trainer, adds, "I'm proactive; I don't just sit in my office all day. When I came on board and saw the hours, I knew I had to be available to all employees and shifts. I want them to know I'm here." Click here for the complete article …

WELLNESS PROGRAM STABILIZES HEALTH CARE COSTS    Furmano Foods reports costs unchanged for past three years Furmano Foods, a Pennsylvania-based food products and service company, reported that its health care costs have remained flat for the past three years based upon a recently completed analysis of their health and wellness strategy. Furmano Foods' employees have participated in a Wellness Coaches USA, Bluebell, Pennsylvania, comprehensive on-site wellness process since 2006. There has been a better than 95% employee engagement in on-site wellness coaching each year. In addition to on-site coaching services, the company actively educates its employees on being better health care consumers, with educational content including the use of generic drugs and costs variances among local physicians and hospitals. The charts on page 86, provided by Furmano Foods, demonstrate the effectiveness of its wellness strategy. The first chart, Furmano Foods Aggregate Healthcare Costs, shows actual aggregate health care costs compared to costs projected by a third-party consultant in 2004. The chart shows that actual health care costs for each year after 2004 were lower than projected by the Furmano Foods consultant, with the difference rapidly accelerating after 2007, culminating with a difference of more than $2 million in 2010 alone. Click here for the complete article … VOLUNTARY BENEFITS CONTINUE GROWING    Looming health care reform may create workplace marketing opportunities Six out of ten American workers have no financial plan in place to deal with an unexpected and costly medical emergency, according to an Aflac study released in June. According to the report, 51% of workers say they are "not very" or "not at all" prepared to pay for out-of-pocket expenses not covered by medical insurance. The report also found that 66% of workers would purchase additional health insurance benefits to make sure they are protected and 59% said they would buy voluntary insurance. These facts support what industry experts see as increased attention being paid to a variety of voluntary benefits by employers and employees, as well as agents and brokers. "Disability and critical illness insurance, in particular, seem to be gaining momentum," notes Thomas Petersen, RHU, vice president and senior underwriter with Petersen International Underwriters. Adds Chad Bodner, RHU, REBC, vice president, Worksite Sales at Assurity Life Insurance Company, "We have seen a significant increase in interest among traditional employee benefit brokers in offering worksite products." Jim Foley, head of voluntary underwriting and sales support for ING Employee Benefits, has observed considerably broader appeal in the medical benefits arena. "Employers and producers are trying to figure out what health care reform means for employees," he says. "This is creating more opportunities, and it's generating interest in voluntary accident products, critical illness products and hospital indemnity products." Click here for the complete article … EMPLOYEE BENEFITS NEWS    Sun Life enrollment kit wins plain language award The Center for Plain Language presented Sun Life with a 2011 ClearMark Award in recognition of the plain language communication in Sun Life's Personalized Group Enrollment Kit. The kit is used to educate employees of employers that offer Sun Life's group voluntary benefits, including group life, disability and dental insurance. Sun Life's kit goes to more than 110,000 employees earning from $25,000 to $200,000 at nearly 500 employee groups. The purpose of the kit is to boost enrollment and help employees choose benefits that match their personal needs, risk tolerance and financial circumstances. The kit evolved from Sun Life's plain language initiative, part of its "Get to Know Sun Life" brand campaign. Sun Life Financial's Employee Benefits Group division offers group life, disability, dental and medical stop loss insurance through 170 group sales representatives. Click here for the complete article … RETIREMENT CONSULTING    Employees and employers are looking for help in this enormous market The latest research on retirement benefits reveals that while the issues may be complicated, the potential market is huge. Whether or not to provide retirement benefit plan consulting can be one of the most difficult decisions for an independent agency to make. Unlike group health benefits, which tend to be available from a small group of insured health plans in most regions, retirement administration and investment options are offered by a wide range of national providers. Helping your employer customers make the right choices requires more than basic business analysis and effective annual marketing. Agencies need to provide actuarial professionals, investment counselors and licensed securities dealers. That's a lot of additional expertise for agencies that may have only recently expanded their business from property/casualty insurance sales to employee benefits. Click here for the complete article …  Click here to unsubscribe This message was sent by The Rough Notes Company, Inc., 11690 Technology Drive, Carmel, Indiana, 46032 1-800-428-4384