Ah, hear that? No, not the falling pine needles. That soft rustle – the calm before the storm of a new year – is simply the calendar flipping over. There's nothing like the new year to nudge the most stubborn of us into a little quiet introspection.
So what does 2008 hold for us – aside from another year of climbing premiums and shrinking commissions?
Word on the street is that banks are falling all over their defaulted mortgages to get into the benefits business. Just last week, Wells Fargo picked up four more agencies, bringing their 2007 total up to an even dozen. Make no mistake; this is just the tip of the iceberg.
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Oh, and wellness programs should continue their pandemic spread. As consumers bear more of the responsibility for their own health, employers are helping out more often. MetLife's fifth annual look at employee benefit trends shows that "28 percent of employers and nearly half of companies with more than 500 employees now offer some type of wellness program." Look for more on this in the February issue of our print edition.
But, perhaps most importantly, there's this presidential election. It should heat up tomorrow when Iowans gather in their caucuses to send all those white collars off to New Hampshire for the first primary of the season.
Consider yourself warned: Over the next several weeks, I'll be taking a look at each of the candidates and see where they stand as it relates to health care.
Until then, do something about that tree, it's starting to turn colors.
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