Characteristics that keep them in the individual column center around the cash value and accompanying regulation, including state replacement regulations and federal tax exchange rules. And because of the cash value element, plus the lifetime level premium expected of the product, permanent life portability has more meaning. For example, a covered person who doesn’t bother to port their critical illness product might lose insurability or issue age pricing, but a covered person who fails to port their permanent life plan might forfeit thousands of dollars worth of account value as well.

What about the processes supporting products? Again, permanent life stands out because it requires much more thorough tracking of individual account values. Many group voluntary products are, in fact, self administered by employers, much like employer paid group plans. Group voluntary carriers typically don’t roster much information about their certificate holders, beyond basic coverage elections and contact data. What does all this mean in the eyes of our customers? In my opinion, neither employer decision makers nor employees give this distinction any thought.

If an employee sees a product as a benefit, they’re not thinking about whether it is worksite or voluntary, or who is administering the product. They want good products conveniently available at work. Our responsibility is to help employers identify and deliver that value. I often hear voluntary products are not as “shopped” as traditional employer-paid group products, because they’re more difficult to compare. I’m not at all convinced this is true. It seems to me that clouding the picture with a distinction between worksite and voluntary is just code for keeping customers confused.

I think we can do a responsible job of assessing the value of products employers choose to enable so employees can buy and pay for them. We should base this on the merits of price, coverage provisions and supporting service.