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BenefitsSellingMag.com • November 2008 • Benefits Selling 49

It’s November, so It must be tIme for aNother

rouNd of readers’ ChoICe madNess. we take

user-geNerated CoNteNt to a New level aNd

let eaCh aNd every oNe of you deCIde who

beloNgs oN the followINg pages.

who boasts the produCts you’re wIllINg to

stake your rep oN? who’s breakINg bouNdarIes

wheN It Comes to New desIgN? whICh tpa do

you trust to haNdle your busINess? aNd who

treats you lIke a Customer —

aNd Not a hassle?>>

eaders’Rchoiceawards

2008

BS 11.08 readers choice c.indd 49 10/9/08 10:45:18 AM

eaders’R choice awards

BenefitsSellingMag.com • November 2008 • Benefits Selling50

Taking the same ingredients as everyone else and producing the best results is the trait of a true innovator.

Colonial Life clearly sets the bar high when it comes to providing solutions that help clients address health care costs, enrollment management and benefits education. And brokers have responded that they truly value a carrier that offers the total package: competitive products and a range of enrollment options to reach every employee, from face-to-face enrollment sessions, co-browsing over the Internet, call center and self-enrollments.

most

innovative

carrierColonial life

insurance business remains sound. And they ’re not standing still, either. Business, like life, goes on and AIG’s presence in the employee benefits market continues to grow.

BeSt dISABILIty produCt oN the MArket

Colonia l Life has apparently done an excellent job at setting themselves on top with their variety of voluntary short-term disability products. offering options such as guaranteed issue, simplified issue or fully underwritten according to the account size and participation has certainly paid off, with brokers overwhelmingly choosing Colonial Life as the best disability product in the market.

With an estimated $820 million in sales for voluntary short-term disability accounts — based on Eastbridge Consulting Group numbers — carriers are often forced to make their product stand out in a sea of competitors.

Chosen by 40 percent of Fortune 500 companies, uNuM’s disability plans cater to companies of all sizes. Some of the added benefits? Vocational rehabilitation

assistance and return-to-work support services. With perks like these, uNuM clearly earns its honorable mention in the disability category.

Colonial life

UnUM

eaders’R choice awards

While American General has earned more than its fair share of bad press over the last several weeks,

aig

WINNER

HONORABLE MENTION

WINNER

HONORABLE MENTION

eaders’R choice awards

BenefitsSellingMag.com • November 2008 • Benefits Selling 51

And nowhere is it on greater display than in this growing niche. In addition, products designed to give access to the uninsured such as an indemnity-based limited benefit medical plan make Colonial Life sit comfortably ahead of the competition in the eyes of readers.

CArrIer SIttING At the

forefroNt of the CoNSuMer-d r I V e N h e A L t h M A r k e t

Colonial lifeColonial Life continues to address the biggest

need with consumer-driven health care — employee education — by providing professional teams to educate employees on their coverage options.

Offering affordable health care to small business owners, particularly in the consumer-driven product space, has been the focus of united healthcare’s efforts for a while now. The latest update is the addition of their Cdhp product into the 2009 federal employees health Benefits program with enrollment starting as soon as this month.

United HealtHCare

WINNER

Mirroring last year ’s results, we now find ourselves with some familiar winners in this category. In another landslide victory, Ameriflex continues to be the standard by which all other tpAs are judged.

They pride themselves in listening to what their customers want, and brokers are responding well to their efforts. Based in Madison, Wisc., total Administrative Services Corp. also earned a place as a finalist in the Wisconsin Better Business Bureau 2008 torch Awards for Business ethics and Integrity.

third-party administrator offering the most comprehensive

s e r v i c eaMeriflex

A m e r i F l e x ’ s dominance in the third-party a d m i n i s t r a t o r arena remains uncha l lenged .

3

taSC

For the second year in a row, the TPA that does it all shows that focusing on small businesses is the right move.

¬WINNER

HONORABLE MENTION

HONORABLE MENTION

eaders’R choice awards

BenefitsSellingMag.com • November 2008 • Benefits Selling52

enrollment company offering the best service

With a focus in educating employees while keeping HR departments and business owners happy, univers offers personalized tools, one-on-one training and state-of-the-art paperless enrollment. The time-saving qualities of their program and their employee retention numbers make univers Workplace Benefits the broker’s favorite enrollment.

UniverS WorkplaCe BenefitS5& Forget for a second that Colonial Life —

despite their overwhelming popularity — is a carrier, not an enrollment company. But brokers appear enamored with their online and back office tools designed to make life easier for them. part of being named over and over in these awards comes with offering some of the best service available for enrollment. Colonial Life really knows how to seal the deal with a great Web-based platform.

Colonial life

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According to columnist Marty traynor, “We’re broker friendly because all group insurance distribution is through employee benefit brokers and all strategy decisions are based on helping them strengthen their offerings to their clients via expert consultation and advice, cost-effective products and services, an efficient, easy-to-use purchasing and service experience and having the right people, well-trained and positioned, to service their needs.”

A strong Web-based engine dedicated to brokers sits at the heart of Mutual of Omaha’s relationship with carriers.MUtUal of oMaHa

WINNER

Colonial lifeColonial Life works tirelessly to provide first-class broker support and protect its broker relationships. Through regular broker forums, surveys and feedback, the company listens to and acts upon what brokers says they need in their voluntary benefits partner.

WINNER

HONORABLE MENTION

HONORABLE MENTION

eaders’R choice awards

BenefitsSellingMag.com • November 2008 • Benefits Selling 53

vision provider

offering the best coverage — including

plan design and network availability

8offering personalized care with more doctor

choices in more locations and savings in both coverage and personalized care, VSp takes the lead in the vision plan arena. Their easy to navigate Web site and simple tools are a winner — especially with our readers.

vSp

Avesis provides members with online tools to assist them in checking their eligibility, printing Id cards, finding providers and more.

aveSiSFor more than 27 years, Avesis has “offered one of the best values in vision benefits.”

Colonial Life’s voluntary life insurance portfolio gives

brokers the whole package: term, whole and universal life. flexibility in underwriting makes these products more accessible to employees who need them and makes enrollments easier. This summer, the company opened additional marketing possibilities when it launched its new universal life plan and optional long-term care benefits rider.

Aflac keeps it simple by offering three different types of policies. employees

apply for the policy directly or at work. And they get to keep it, even if they leave the employer.

BeSt VoLuNtAry LIfe INSurANCe produCt IN the MArketWINNERColonial life

WINNER

HONORABLE MENTION

aflaC

HONORABLE MENTION