Life insurance activity showed marked resilience in 2011

Tagged Under : Life Insurance, Marked

The life insurance application activity for last year finished slightly above the 2010 level, spurred in part by 5.8% year-over-year growth in December.

The 0.2% annual growth marked the first year of growth in three years, according to the MIB Life Index, whose researchers said in a statement that the results for the year show “marked resilience.”

In 2010, individually underwritten life insurance application activity fell 1.2%, while in 2009, the year-end results were down 0.2%.

Last years application activity by quarter showed losses improving slightly in the first three quarters, but boosted significantly with the 2.5% gain in the fourth quarter.

The Index has lost more than 4% since 2007 but the pace of decline has lessened, 2011 is slightly positive and a strong fourth quarter is cause for optimism as we look toward 2012, states Lee Oliphant, MIBs chief executive officer, in a statement. We b

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How Will the Supreme Court Make a Difference in Health Reform?

Tagged Under : Reform

After months of court rulings around the country, President Barack Obama and dozens of state officials have managed to move the debate over the constitutionality of health care reform to the U.S. Supreme Court. Exactly what would a decision from the court mean in this health reform debate? How could the justices impact the future of health care?

History of Legal Challenges for Health Reform Law

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as the health care reform law, has been the focus of a number of debates since it was signed into law by President Barack Obama in March, 2010.

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Most insurance agents say they refer, eschew clients tax issues

Tagged Under : Agents Say, Insurance Agents, Insurance Agents Say, Tax

The majority of insurance agents say they refer their clients seeking tax services to an accountant or certified public accountant, according to the latest IFAwebnews.com poll.

Exactly 71% of participants in the latest poll said they refer tax issues and tax preparation to an expert.

Another 22% do not discuss any tax issues with their clients, while the remaining 7% said they handle the issues themselves, according to the poll.

Choosing the Top Insurance Companies for Coverage

Tagged Under : automobile insurance

It is very important to locate the best quality auto insurance companies with the right policy for your vehicle. Yet, this is not always the easiest thing to do when you’re not sure what you should be looking for and how to spot the most valuable automobile insurance agencies. There are certain things that you can look for to determine whether or not an insurance company is for you and that’s by listening to the customers.

You can find out how a superior car indemnity protection company treats its customers. If the reviews that you read are mostly positive and they have some of the highest ratings, it’s time to start looking to see what type of insurance they can offer you for your vehicle. Also, Read more…

Wal-Mart to Expand Medical Services at In-Store Clinics

Tagged Under : Clinics, Medical Services

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is strengthening its attempts to offer low-cost medical services to individuals through its in-store clinics, according to a new report from the American Medical Association . However, the major retailers project is facing challenges as a result of health industry regulations.

Wal-Mart Faces Difficulties with Health Care Rules

Despite the fact that Wal-Mart is known as a super-power among retailers, it has had trouble getting into the medical services business.

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Minister criticises referral fees on personal injury claims

Tagged Under : Injury, Personal Injury, Referral Fees

Justice minister Jonathan Djanogly has criticised the payment of referral fees in personal injury litigation, but stopped short of saying the government will ban it.

In an interview on Radio 4′s Today programme the minister said the referrals system gave people a “perverse incentive” to make unjustified claims. He said the government would be looking at several practices including referral fees, touting for business by text message, and garages selling lists of drivers involved in accidents, but added that these were the symptoms of a “rotten suing culture” rather than the cause.

Jack Straw has hit out at the practice of insurance companies selling the details of car accidents to personal injury lawyers, a business estimated to be worth £3bn a year and one which increases the price of every car insurance policy sold.

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Value to workers, not cost-cutting, key voluntary-benefits driver

Employers are offering voluntary benefits more to benefit their employees than to cut costs, n cost driven, according to new research.

The Gauging the Success of Voluntary Benefits, the second in a series of research briefs stemming from Prudential’s Sixth Annual Study of Employee Benefits: Today & Beyond, found that 75% of employers say their top reason for offering voluntary benefits is to expand the benefits options available to their employees, with 42% offering voluntary benefits to fulfill an employee need, and 30% offering them at their employees’ request.

Exactly 85% of employers say they offer one or more voluntary benefits including life insurance (63%), disability insurance (56%), and dental insurance (52%). Ran

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