It sounds funny to suggest that you “stabilize” your business when there is so much we don’t know about health care reform and how it will impact limited medical. I’m sure you’ve seen reports or heard discussions about the demise of limited medical as a result of health care reform. Maybe you’ve had clients who were reluctant to start a plan because they weren’t sure about the future of health care. The fact of the matter is that here at Fringe Benefit Group we have plenty to keep ourselves occupied while clarification begins to trickle out of the government. What we do know and what we have seen in the past week is that employers are still looking for solutions to rising health care costs and that limited medical plans can play a big part of the solution you provide to employers.

I recently took part in a carrier's "Advisory Council" for voluntary benefits, which are often referred to as worksite products. The carrier responsible for hosting the meeting gathered a group of more than a dozen voluntary benefits enrollment companies, brokers, a systems person and TPA. As a limited medical person, I was very interested to listen and learn from this group. I was invited because limited medical and worksite sometimes cross paths.

Recently Framework Health Plan / Fringe Benefit Group added Viant’s Beech Street PPO Network to our Standard Security Life backed limited medical plan. Since 2000 this network has saved members over $7 billion. Currently the network has nationwide 5,080 hospitals, 85,676 ancillary facilities, and 562,220 practitioners.