News & Updates

For the majority of us, our most important asset isn't our home or car or jewelry collection. It's our income. Consider this: In a 40-year career, a person who earns $52,000 a year would make over $2,000,000 in his or her lifetime. Think of everything that depends on that person's income—mortgage, college, family vacations, retirement savings—there are many daily expenses and lifelong goals that rely on that paycheck.

So what happens if those paychecks stopped? What if a person's lifetime savings becomes the only way to meet expenses? That's where disability insurance comes in. It provides an income if a worker is unable to work because of illness or injury.

Unfortunately, disability is behind a significant number of home foreclosures and personal bankruptcies. Insuring against it has not been a high priority for most workers, because many assume they're already covered through Social Security, state-mandated Workers' Compensation, or employer-provided group plans. There are, however, numerous holes in this safety net of coverage. About 45 percent of those who initially apply for disability benefits through Social Security are denied, and those who are approved get an average benefit of just $1,063 monthly—hardly enough to replace the average worker's income.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, more than 70 percent of employers do not offer long-term disability coverage. Yet 9 out of 10 workers think all employers should offer disability insurance.¹ At the same time, 77 percent of workers think that missing work for at least 3 months would create a financial hardship, while half think it would cause a "great hardship."

A few facts underscore the importance of replacing income if a person is too sick or hurt to work:

• 74 percent of households have no disability insurance at all.
• 1 in 3 Americans entering the work force will experience a disability before they retire.
• 1 in 5 workers will be out of work for at least a year due to illness or accident before age 65.²
• Most people in the U.S. are better prepared financially in case of death (usually with life insurance) than if they get disabled, even though the chances are at least 3 to 5 times greater (depending on age) that a disability will occur.²
• Someone who is 35 years old has a 50 percent chance of disability for 90 days or more before they turn 65.²
• Workers' Compensation covers only work-related disabilities, but according to the National Safety Council, 73 percent of disabling accidents and illnesses are not work-related.²

May is Disability Insurance Awareness Month. Now is the ideal time to help accounts and their employees explore the many disability insurance options that area available to them. To learn more, visit www.indigo-insurance.com or contact your account executive today.

1 Consumer Federation of America and Unum, "Employee Knowledge and Attitudes About Employer-Provided Disability Insurance," Opinion Research Corporation survey of 1,191 full-time or part-time adult employees conducted March-April 2012, published April 30, 2012.

2 www.soundfinancialplan.com, from MDRT

Working together as partners, USAble Life and Indigo Insurance Services are offering expanded counseling and assistance for those suffering from trauma created by the Boston Marathon bombing. The pair of explosions that struck the 2013 Boston Marathon has left tragedy and heartbreak in their wake, and USAble Life and Indigo are combining forces to offer enhanced employee assistance to all USAble Life customers in Massachusetts through May 20. We're committed to our customers and doing our part to keep Boston Strong!

To support all of our Massachusetts customers, USAble Life and Indigo are pleased to announce the extension of counseling by telephone for those who need assistance to help create a positive foundation for care and recovery. All employees of USAble Life customers, regardless of whether they are policyholders, now have availability to one consult with access to an employee assistance website that offers additional support.

Indigo Insurance Services, LLC, today announced it has added health care compliance services to its growing suite of Stop-Loss coverage benefits. Through a new partnership with Enquiron, a leading provider of high-touch consultative solutions for employers nationwide, Indigo will help businesses that self-fund health care for their employees navigate the labyrinth of related laws and regulations.

Indigo, Enquiron Announcement

Indigo Insurance Services, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, today announced it will offer Stop-Loss insurance to employers domiciled outside of Massachusetts who choose to self-fund their health care. Indigo's Stop-Loss, which protects employers from the financial risks associated with self-funding, is now available to employers with 100+ employees and is licensed nation-wide.

According to a 2011 report by the Employee Benefit Research Institute, approximately 100 million Americans receive benefits through self-funded group health insurance plans, representing 57 percent of participants in private employment-based plans nationwide. In addition, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will eliminate annual and lifetime limits beginning in 2014—increasing the need for stop-loss insurance to decrease employers' exposure.

"Self-funded health insurance is an attractive option for employers seeking more flexibility, benefit design control, and cost savings in comparison to fully insured health plans," said Arleigh Kennedy, Director of Special Risk at Indigo. "Tailored to a company's needs, Indigo's Stop-Loss insurance allows employers to take advantage of the control and cost savings that self-funded plans offer, without exposing their company to undue risk."

Indigo Stop-Loss insurance features include:

• Unlimited lifetime maximum
• Family deductibles
• Coverage on groups 100+
• Flexible contract terms—various run in, run out, and contract lengths
• Advanced funding at no additional charge to the rates
• Aggregating specific deductibles
• Specific and aggregate contracts—down to $50,000 deductible
• No new laser contract
• Terminal liability
• Seamless renewals on incurred contracts
• The security of working with A+ and A rated national carriers

Contact Indigo. Limit Your Exposure.
To learn how Stop-Loss insurance from Indigo can provide employers with the highest level of protection, please visit www.indigo-insurance.com/stop-loss. Other services offered through Indigo include: life, short and long term disability, international health care coverage, critical illness and cancer care coverage, elder care coverage, among other coverage options.

Indigo Insurance Services is a national Managing General Underwriter. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, Indigo has the financial strength, underwriting experience, and proven track record to help employers of all sizes manage their health care needs.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (www.bluecrossma.com) is a community-focused, tax-paying, not-for-profit health plan headquartered in Boston. Celebrating our 75th anniversary in 2012, we are committed to working with others in a spirit of shared responsibility to make quality health care affordable. Consistent with our corporate promise to always put our 2.8 million members first, we are rated among the nation's best health plans for member satisfaction and quality.

New Health Plan for Expats and Business Travelers
Today, nearly 80 percent of the top 40 Massachusetts-based national corporations, representing nearly one million lives, have international operations. And almost half of those corporations are Blue Cross customers. By offering an international product to these firms, you now have an even more compelling value proposition. Learn more about GeoBlue Expat^SM.

Americans Traveling, Working, and Studying Abroad Can Get Quality Care
In January of 2012, we introduced our newest ancillary group product lines—GeoBlue Expat and Traveler plans.

• The Expat plan covers outbound U.S. citizens or third-country nationals traveling internationally for business for six months or more. The Expat plan provides employees with major medical coverage, including wellness, maternity care, and medical evacuation.
• The GeoBlue Traveler^SM plan provides coverage for employees traveling outside of their home country for trips lasting up to 180 days.

With GeoBlue, employees have peace of mind knowing they are covered for both sickness and accidents while away from home. And employers have peace of mind knowing that their employees are covered by a name they know and trust.

What Does GeoBlue Bring to My Customers?

• A worldwide network of carefully selected doctors and hospitals
• English-speaking, western-trained physicians in 200 countries
• Convenient mobile and online health and safety tools
• 24/7 concierge-level assistance
• Global expertise and systems to deliver exceptional service

Why Is GeoBlue Important to Brokers?
GeoBlue provides a global solution to your clients, and assists in overcoming the health care barriers employees face when on long-term international assignments.

When conducting business, mistakes can happen—and when they do, they can be costly. Resulting legal fees and judgment costs can rise into the hundreds of thousands and lawsuits are time consuming. Wouldn't it be nice to focus on the client and not on all the financial risk that comes with your transactions? With BCS Errors and Omissions insurance, now you can.

BCS Errors and Omissions insurance offers two coverage options—individual and agency. For as little as $465/year or $39.17/month, your defense bills are paid from the first dollar and you are covered for any administrative help you receive in the process. Shift the focus to what really matters and leave the risk to us.

Learn more about errors and omissions coverage. If you have any questions, please contact your account executive.

If your clients', like millions of other Americans, interrupt their workday to manage the care of their aging parents, WeCare+ from Indigo can help. The average annual cost to employers in lost productivity due to eldercare responsibilities is $33.6 billion, or $2,110 per employee caregiver.¹

WeCare+ helps restore productivity by providing support to caregivers, including:

• Assistance in making informed health care decisions
• Individualized plans of care, addressing current and future needs
• Access to the Long Term Solutions National Select Provider Network
• Quality reports on select providers
• Assistance in negotiating rates and services with providers
• On-going care consultation and monitoring by a registered clinician for the duration of the policy
• On-going communication through the web portal

Learn more about WeCare+ from Indigo Insurance Services.

1. MetLife Mature Market Institute^®, National Alliance for Caregiving, July 2006.

With its ancient architecture, indulgent cuisine, and extraordinary art, Rome has something for everyone. Selling three lines of coverage or two groups, and $200,000 in new annualized Indigo premiums could be your ticket to explore Rome in style.

An amazing 6-day trip for two featuring the 5-star hotel Boscolo Exedra Roma is unmatched: a superb terrace overlooking Rome, an exclusive wellbeing center, and a spectacular Business Centre, all suspended above ancient Roman excavations.

Check out all the sumptuous details and what it takes to enjoy them, courtesy of Indigo and USAble Life.

The partnership between Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and USAble Life enables Indigo Insurance to coordinate the sharing of disability claims information. This helps nurse case managers provide your employees with the expert advice they need to get and stay healthy. And you get a more productive workforce.

Learn more about Medical and Disability Claims Management.

If your clients' employees travel and work around the globe, they can get the health coverage and care they need with GeoBlue Expat^SM. The GeoBlue Expat health plan covers expats and their families, combining unsurpassed personal service with innovative mobile technology.

All GeoBlue group health plans offer a wide range of exceptional service, including:

• Helping members get the care they need no matter where they are in the world through a worldwide community of contracted, English-speaking, western-trained physicians
• Member education and support, especially for those with chronic conditions and special needs
• Appointment scheduling for doctor visits with no out-of-pocket costs
• Case management and emergency evacuation directed through a network of more than 150 Regional Physician Advisors across the globe
• Full international claims payment capabilities

With a worldwide community of English-speaking, western-trained doctors, convenient mobile and online health and safety tools, and 24/7 concierge-level assistance, we help employees and their families get the care they need no matter where their travels take them.

Learn more about GeoBlue Expat.

Heart attacks, strokes, cancer. When they strike, they can destroy a lifetime of careful financial planning and cherished dreams. CriticalCare Elite and Cancer Care Elite can help ease some of the unimaginable stress of dealing with a critical illness by providing additional funds to employees -money is paid directly to them to use how they want, it can be used for childcare, food, deductibles, and other expenses not covered by medical plans.

Payments are made directly to employees to use as they see fit. That way they can focus on recovery instead of worrying about unpaid bills. Employees can choose between two plan options—CriticalCare Elite with Cancer or CriticalCare Elite without Cancer. Both offer comprehensive and reliable financial support to an employee and their family while undergoing treatment to recover from a critical illness.

Learn more about voluntary critical illness coverage.

September is Life Insurance Awareness Month (LIAM). Life is full of unexpected events and we know that having life insurance can aid in removing the added stress of worrying about finances. LIAM is the time when our industry comes together to make sure Americans are reminded of the need to include life insurance in their financial plans. Find additional facts from LIMRA in the Facts of Life 2011.

With our BlueIQ Communications Center, you can start the conversation with the ability to customize your newsletter or send an email on the importance of life insurance. Look for articles such as Who needs life insurance and why do I need it?, Why do I need Disability Insurance?, and more.

LIAM Flyers
The following flyers will help you share the importance of Life Insurance.

• The Seven Wonders of Life Insurance
• Life Insurance Reality Check: Do You Have Enough?
• Insurance Is There Because Life Happens
• Life Insurance: Now More Than Ever
• Don't Leave Your Family's Financial Security to Chance
• Preserve Life's Wondrous Moments with Life Insurance
• Leave a Legacy of Love With Life Insurance
• Life Insurance Is the Gift That Keeps on Giving
• Lamar Odom's Story

Heart attacks, strokes, cancer. When they strike, they can destroy a lifetime of careful financial planning and cherished dreams. CriticalCare Elite and Cancer Care Elite can help ease some of the unimaginable stress of dealing with a critical illness by providing additional funds to employees -money is paid directly to them to use how they want, it can be used for childcare, food, deductibles, and other expenses not covered by medical plans.

Payments are made directly to employees to use as they see fit. That way they can focus on recovery instead of worrying about unpaid bills. Employees can choose between two plan options—CriticalCare Elite with Cancer or CriticalCare Elite without Cancer. Both offer comprehensive and reliable financial support to an employee and their family while undergoing treatment to recover from a critical illness.

Learn more about voluntary critical illness coverage.

Offer total coverage with Protection Plus. Designed for employer groups with 2-49 employees, Protection Plus offers life, accidental death and dismemberment, dependent life, and disability coverage—all for one rate, under one plan. Typically, small businesses must be in business for two years before they can offer disability insurance, but with Protection Plus, coverage can start as soon as the doors open.

Protection Plus features include:

• Rates as low as $9 PEPM
• 4 percent discount on Dental Blue

Learn more about Protection Plus

FMLA and COBRA administration taking up too much of your time? Do you need a solution for your Flexible Spending Account or Health Reimbursement Administration? Through our partnership with Total Administrative Services Corporation (TASC), your clients can now take advantage of administrative services once reserved for only the largest employers. Save time and enhance their benefit options with TASC.

Services include:

• Health Reimbursement Arrangement
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• COBRA Continuation Administration
• Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Administration
• Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) Compliance Management

Help your clients keep their employees productive. EAP helps employees identify challenges that may interfere with job performance. Through short-term counseling, training, management consultation, interactive website and crisis services, the EAP has a positive effect on productivity, turnover and health care claims costs. Employee services include:

• 24/7 support and crisis assistance
• Face-to-face assessment and counseling
• Legal and financial consultation
• Referral to child and elder care services
• Comprehensive online resources

There are also services for employers including:

• Telephone consultation with an EAP professional
• Formal management referrals
• DOT/SAP assessment and case management
• Online management forum
• Dedicated account management
• Educational workshops onsite
• Supervisory training
• Crisis management services

May is Disability Insurance Awareness month (DIAM). Disability insurance is the most overlooked and misunderstood of the major forms of insurance. That's what makes DIAM such an important annual event. It brings the industry together in support of a simple goal: getting people to think about their need for disability insurance coverage—a need that is certainly there. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 72 percent of American workers do not have long-term disability insurance coverage. That leaves a lot of people vulnerable financially. Being aware of the importance of disability insurance can ultimately be what saves one's economic stability.