Printer Friendly
The Free Library
4,719,429 articles and books
Member login
User name  
Password 
 
Join us Forgot password?

Annuities double life premiums for some carriers.


While premiums collected among Arkansas' health insurers increased only slightly amid the tumult.of managed care and skyrocketing prescription costs last year, life insurance companies found a 1998 bonanza Bonanza

saga of the Cartwright family. [TV: Terrace, I, 111–112]

See : Wild West
 among policyholders looking for Looking for

In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with.
 one more niche in the nation's bull market.

Insurance experts say premium dollars traditionally spent on whole-life policies grew exponentially ex·po·nen·tial  
adj.
1. Of or relating to an exponent.

2. Mathematics
a. Containing, involving, or expressed as an exponent.

b.
 as policyholders moved from traditional whole-life plans to annuities, where insureds can become investors in higher-risk/higher-yield mutual funds.

"We have seen huge jumps as more and more people are saving in variable life policies for annuities," says Janemarie Mulvey, director of economic research for the American Council American Council may refer to:

In linguistics:
  • American Council of Teachers of Russian, an organization that has to advance research development in Russian and English language
 of Life Insurance.

"In some cases, contributions to annuities have gone up 60 to 70 percent during the past few years," she says. "Part of that is people now purchasing annuities through their pension plans with IRAs and 401(k)s."

In all, the 10 life insurance companies collecting the most premiums in Arkansas during 1998 outpaced the Top 10 from Arkansas Business' 1997 list by 105.7 percent - up from a combined $267.4 million in 1997 in premiums to $550.1 million last year.

Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., which offers a greater share of annuity-based products than many of its competitors, replaced Hartford Insurance Co.'s combined life and annuity annuity: see insurance.
annuity

Payment made at a fixed interval. A common example is the payment received by retirees from their pension plan. There are two main classes of annuities: annuities certain and contingent annuities.
 companies as No. 1 on the list.

Metropolitan's premiums increased from $33.9 million to $113.2 million - well ahead of the Hartford companies' combined $84.1 million.

Contributions accounted for $54.2 million - or 65 cents of every dollar collected in the state by the Hartford companies during 1998.

"Life insurance companies are selling more investment programs and have less of a focus on life insurance," says Dave Potter, Hartford Life's public relations public relations, activities and policies used to create public interest in a person, idea, product, institution, or business establishment. By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most  manager. "Our market involves people who are already heavily invested in equities. They understand the long-term value of equities, and variable life gives them another opportunity for long-term investment."

Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America moved near the front of the pack for the first time in 1998, ranking third with $62.9 million in premiums.

Annuities Are Driving Force

New Jersey-based Prudential Prudential is the name of two different companies and buildings named after them:

Companies:
  • Prudential plc is a United Kingdom-based financial services company.
  • Prudential Financial, Inc.
 Insurance Co., one of the nation's largest carriers, did considerably better selling health insurance to Arkansans. It ranked No. 3 in Arkansas health insurance premiums.

Mulvey said she could not comment on the performance of specific life companies. But she said Prudential is one of the nation's life carriers that focuses less of its business on annuities. The company dropped from seventh to 10th in the Arkansas rankings between 1997 and 1998.

The financial fortunes of the health insurance industry were dictated dic·tate  
v. dic·tat·ed, dic·tat·ing, dic·tates

v.tr.
1. To say or read aloud to be recorded or written by another: dictate a letter.

2.
a.
 by major changes in federal health care law and related shifts among the managed care components of major companies.

John Shields

For other people named John Shields, see John Shields (disambiguation).


Private John Shields (1769–1809), born in Harrisonburg, Virginia was at 34, the second oldest member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
, who oversees life and health insurance company regulation for the Arkansas Department of Insurance, says rising health care costs - underscored by a 40-percent surge in prescription costs since 1990 - are helping to drive profound changes in the industry.

Premiums collected by Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield Blue Shield A US not-for-profit health care insurer that is a reimbursement intermediary for physicians. Cf Blue Cross. , by far the state's largest health insurer, dropped slightly from $449.3 million in 1997 to $449.2 million last year.

Premiums for the Top 10 carriers increased 2.6 percent - to $656.3 million from the $643.1 million collected during 1997.
COPYRIGHT 1999 Journal Publishing, Inc.
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 1999 Gale, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

 Reader Opinion

Title:

Comment:



 

Article Details
Printer friendly Cite/link Email Feedback
Title Annotation:Health Care Update
Comment:Annuities double life premiums for some carriers.(Health Care Update)
Author:Whiteley, Michael
Publication:Arkansas Business
Geographic Code:1U7AR
Date:Oct 4, 1999
Words:543
Previous Article:St. Vincent nurses continue unionization effort.(Health Care Update)
Next Article:NW doctors out in cold and upset.(14 doctors dropped by Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield and FirstSource)
Topics:



Related Articles
Life history: the roots of Indiana's life & health insurance companies go back more than a century. (Insurance) (Industry Overview)
Hartford, AIG shake up life insurance business. (Hartford Life Insurance Co.; AIG Life Insurance Co.)(Arkansas Business Rankings)
Blue Cross, Prudential largest health insurers. (Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield; Prudential Insurance Company of America)
Quickeninsurance Adds ING, Sun Life to Insurance Rolls.(ING Life, Sun LIfe Assurance Company of Canada)(Brief Article)
Tax-Time Reminder About Long-Term Care Insurance.(Brief Article)
New York Life Gets OK to Market Life, Long-Term-Care Product in California.(New York Life Insurance and Annuity Corp.)(Brief Article)
Rising premiums impact businesses, employees: Companies advised to 'shop around' for health benefits. (Special Report: Insurance).(Statistical Data...
Approaching immortality: insurers calculate how a new mortality table assuming life expectancy of 120 years would affect their reserves, pricing and...
Even for those in it, this is risky business. (Insurance).(Industry Overview)
To the rescue: hoping to revive long-term-care insurance sales, the industry is trying new combination products.(Life: Long-Term Care)

Terms of use | Copyright © 2009 Farlex, Inc. | Feedback | For webmasters | Submit articles