One question that seems to keep coming up is whether products are "worksite" products or "voluntary" products. Let's analyze the difference.

Historically, it's safe to say worksite products have their roots in individual insurance products, while voluntary products have their origins in group products. But as Hegel observed, over time a synthesis emerges between competing theses and this is reflected in "hybrid" products that combine some of the principals of group and individual insurance.

First, a product is built around several elements—the benefits it offers, the processes that support it and the compliance required by regulators. Are the benefits any different in worksite or voluntary? Not in my eyes. A death claim is a death claim. A disability is a disability, and although there are vast differences in the definition of disability between products, these differences have nothing to do with the worksite/voluntary distinction.