Life/Health Insurance

News

Web Health Broker Gives Peek at Per-Enrollee Commissions

Allison Bell | April 27, 2018

The company, eHealth, gets much less for medical enrollees than for Medicare enrollees.

Commentary

Look Here! 3 New Things to Know About Vision Care

John Thorp | April 26, 2018

A vision benefits specialist talks about care that can protect your ability to read this website.

News

IRS Postpones Life Settlement Tax Reporting Requirement

Allison Bell | April 26, 2018

The IRS says it still has to write Section 6050Y rules, and give players time to comply with the rules.

AXA Begins Marketing AXA Equitable Shares to the Public

Allison Bell | April 26, 2018

The company's shares will trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol 'EQH.'

News

AALTCI Updates Tales of Long-Term Care Insurance Claims That Last

Allison Bell | April 26, 2018

Anyone involved in LTC planning should think about the outliers.

News

Retirement Services Group Forms Data Security Alliance

Allison Bell | April 25, 2018

Spark's data security panel will team up with FS-ISAC's securities risk panel.

News

Are Rising Mortgage Rates a Threat to U.S. Housing?

Vincent Del Giudice | April 25, 2018

A Northwestern Mutual analyst says that question may keep coming up.

News

Sun Life Plots Private Debt Growth Via Acquisition This Year

Sally Bakewell | April 25, 2018

The company hopes to profit from making more loans to small and midsize companies.

Slideshow

What Anthem, Centene and Cigna Are Telling Investors This Week

Allison Bell | April 25, 2018

At least Gail Boudreaux mentioned you, indirectly.

Conversation

Global Atlantic Wants to Talk

Allison Bell | April 25, 2018

The company will be using the web to connect with more financial professionals.

Best Practices

4 Ways to Be a Prospecting Innovator

John Pojeta | April 24, 2018

To make a great light bulb, learn from the bad light bulbs.

News

Generic-Drug Firms Said to Face U.S. Price-Fixing Charges

David McLaughlin and Drew Armstrong | April 24, 2018

The generic drug manufacturers also face a civil complaint filed by state attorneys general.

News

Pimco Selects Austin for Next US Office in Tech Push

John Gittelsohn | April 24, 2018

PIMCO, a unit of Allianz, will employ about 200 people in the new office.

News

Some ACA Exchanges Discover They, Um... Need You...

Allison Bell | April 24, 2018

The public exchange programs seem to be following in the footsteps of many private web-based insurance supermarkets.

News Slideshow

5 Reasons 'Non-Buyers' May Still Be Good Annuity Prospects

Allison Bell | April 24, 2018

A Secure Retirement Institute analyst compares actual annuity buyers with the ones who got away.

News

What a Big Annuity Issuer Sees Out There Now

Allison Bell | April 24, 2018

Ameriprise was the first major U.S. annuity issuer to talk about how the quarter looked to it.

News

Goldman's $260 Billion Fund Manager Sees Private Equity Rush

Katherine Chiglinsky and Sonali Basak | April 24, 2018

The firm sees much stronger insurer interest in private equity than in hedge funds.

News

With U.S. Yields This Good, Japan Funds Buy Without Hedging

Masaki Kondo | April 24, 2018

Dai-Ichi Life is one of the carriers buying more unhedged U.S. bonds.

News

Watch Indexed Annuity Rate Caps: Cannex

Allison Bell | April 23, 2018

Firm analysts found loose limits on gains had a big effect on performance.

News

Richard Jenrette, Co-Founder of DLJ Investment Bank, Dies at 89

Laurence Arnold | April 23, 2018

Jenrette was chairman of Equitable when it sold a 49% stake to AXA.

News

Drug Industry Set Lobbying Records As Pricing Pressure Looms

Ben Brody and Anna Edney | April 23, 2018

America’s Health Insurance Plans increased its spending to $2.28 million.

Commentary

Why Whole Life Insurance Stinks

Bryan Kuderna | April 20, 2018

There five reasons why no one should ever, ever even THINK of buying whole life. Right?

News

Share of LTCI Claims Starting With Nursing Home Care Falls: AALTCI

Allison Bell | April 20, 2018

The percentage of new claimants who are living at home is also falling.

News

Firm Sizes Market for Multi-Location Medicare Plans

Allison Bell | April 20, 2018

Retirety's automated advice system has found only a modest need for Medigap coverage.

Conversation

Kuvare Chief: We Want to Build a Life and Annuity Company That Will Last

Allison Bell | April 20, 2018

Dhiren Jhaveri says he has a different strategy because he has a different type of investor.

News

Consumers Expect You to Know About Taxes: MDRT

Allison Bell | April 20, 2018

No word on whether clients expect you to know how to bake a cake, or how to patch a flat.

News

NAIFA Puts Tom Michel on Track to Top

Allison Bell | April 20, 2018

Michel worked at UNIFI and New York Life before branching out on his own.

News

FGL Set to Issue $550 Million in Notes

Allison Bell | April 19, 2018

The company says it helps middle-income Americans prepare for retirement.

News

Guardian Starts Moving 300 Workers to Old Bell Labs Site

Allison Bell | April 19, 2018

The Bell Works site was once the home of a research center that helped give birth to modern technology.

Best Practices

3 Questions for Clients Looking at Senior Care Options

Sharon Roth Maguire | April 19, 2018

Some clients have to move from planning for long-term care to implementing the plan.

News

AXA Equitable Gets Closer to IPO

Allison Bell | April 19, 2018

The company says it will use senior note financing to get itself in shape for a more independent existence.

News

Cigna-Express Scripts Deal to Face Justice Department Review

Zachary Tracer and David McLaughlin | April 19, 2018

A top official says 'vertical deals' require too much federal compliance monitoring.

News

Meet Your Multiemployer Pension Nightmare: Actuary to Lawmakers

Allison Bell | April 19, 2018

A witness told members of a new committee that 1 million people could soon face 90% benefits cuts.

Commentary

Collapse of Pension Funds Isn't a Distant Prospect

Aaron Brown | April 19, 2018

Fund assets at some funds are too low for good returns to help much.

News

Democrats Unified Against Trump but Torn on Election Agenda

Sahil Kapur | April 19, 2018

A Democratic strategist says many voters would rather have affordable health insurance than a modest tax cut.

News

New SEC Proposal Should Even Out Your Best Interest Playing Field: ACLI

Allison Bell | April 18, 2018

The life insurer group's president says the same best interest standards should apply to all sales professionals.

Commentary

Trump Administration Recognizes Important Contributions of Short-Term Medical

Jan Dubauskas | April 18, 2018

An STM sales site general counsel says some consumers may prefer policies with leaner benefits — and lower premiums. And broader provider networks.

News

Cognizant to Use Blockchain Tech to Rewire Life Industry in India

Allison Bell | April 18, 2018

Any system Cognizant develops in India could serve as a model for similar systems in the United States and Europe.

News

Transamerica's New Administrator Sets up Iowa Offices

Allison Bell | April 18, 2018

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) —  a company that will be administering many U.S. business lines for Transamerica — has set up a North America…

Analysis

Republicans Struggle to Make Tax Cuts a Winning Election Issue

Sahil Kapur | April 17, 2018

A Democratic strategist says typical middle class voters may prefer protecting Medicare to keeping a little extra cash.

News

‘Black Swan’ Investor Who Profited From ’08 Crisis Says Market’s More Fragile

Yakob Peterseil and Cecile Gutscher | April 17, 2018

Jerry Haworth says the system is much more leveraged now than it was in 2007.

News

Something Unusual Happened to Q4 Annuity Sales: IRI

Allison Bell | April 17, 2018

The Insured Retirement Institute also found strange things happening at insurers' variable annuity units.

News

5 Factors That May Double Your Chances of Selling a Life Policy

Allison Bell | April 17, 2018

Analysts have sifted LIMRA survey data to find out what closes sales.

News

UnitedHealth Leaves You Off Its Emphasis List

Allison Bell | April 17, 2018

The company will, however, emphasize sales of health insurance outside the United States.

News

3 Top New Life and Annuity Ad Campaigns

Allison Bell | April 17, 2018

New spots from Brighthouse, Lincoln and Symetra could get consumers more interested in the idea of talking to you.

News

2nd Circuit Court Rules on Suit Over Insurance Products

Colby Hamilton | April 17, 2018

The plaintiffs object to accidental disability and medical expense policies that were sold to credit card holders.

News

Nationwide Agency Shift to Have Little Effect on Life and Annuity Distribution: Spokesman

Allison Bell | April 16, 2018

Nationwide already uses independent distributors to distribute most of its life and annuity products.

News

HSA Coverage Use Grows — But Only at Large Employer Groups

Allison Bell | April 16, 2018

The number of people with HSA-compatible individual coverage fell to the lowest level since 2006.

Commentary

What's Your Business Networking Attitude?

Michael Goldberg | April 16, 2018

If going to events seems like a waste of time, maybe you're doing it wrong.

Is It the Spending or the Taxes? It's a Bit of Both

Justin Fox | April 16, 2018

The real problem, the author says, is not with Social Security, but with Medicare.