New Interactive Tools Help Consumers and Businesses Assess Protection Levels

In less than 10 minutes, users can identify gaps in their benefits coverage and their level of financial preparedness, if the unexpected happens

News provided by

Aflac

Nov 28, 2012, 08:00 ET

COLUMBUS, Ga., Nov. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Aflac, the No. 1 provider of supplemental and guaranteed-renewable insurance in the United States, has introduced two interactive, online tools that help businesses assess their current benefits programs and consumers to identify gaps in their insurance coverage. The Aflac Wellbeing Assessment Tool allows consumers to determine whether their existing insurance coverage provides adequate financial protection for anticipated and unexpected expenses and the Aflac Benefits Assessment Tool helps benefits decision-makers compare their benefits programs with national best-in-class offerings.

"In the midst of rising costs and significant changes to our health care system, benefits coverage and proper financial preparation are becoming increasingly important to workers, and ultimately the companies that employ them," said Michael Zuna, executive vice president and chief marketing and sales officer at Aflac. "As a result, both benefits decision makers and workers must take a much closer look at the benefits programs currently offered to ensure they are meeting their needs. The new Aflac tools are designed to help users easily assess the impact of the benefits coverage, rising health care costs and other common issues in a unique and engaging way -- giving them valuable information to make the best decisions."

Aflac Wellbeing Assessment Tool and Profiles

Consumers using the Aflac Wellbeing Assessment Tool will answer questions about their health, employment, finances, well-being and family to receive a customized report with ideas on how to better utilize available benefits and optimize coverage. Information provided by each respondent yields one of five financial and benefits personality risk profiles:

Financially Vulnerable – a consumer who is currently exposed to financial hardships, which frequently can lead to difficulty paying for high out-of-pocket expenses in the event of an unexpected illness or accident.
Financially Anxious – a consumer who has insurance that covers basic checkups and minor medical procedures but is at risk for financial hardship if faced with an unexpected medical event.
Benefits Gambler – a consumer who tends to look on the bright side of situations, leaving him or her in denial of the likelihood of a serious illness or injury and underprepared.
Bare Coverage – a consumer who lacks major medical insurance coverage and is highly vulnerable to financial hardships and even bankruptcy.
Active Protector – a consumer who has built a strong foundation and financial safety net to protect against high costs associated with unexpected illnesses, injuries and other serious events.

Aflac Benefits Assessment Tool and Profiles

Benefits decision-makers and human resource managers can use the Aflac Benefits Assessment Tool to better understand the implications of benefits decisions on their workforce and what they can do to improve their competitiveness in this area. Information they provide about their company's size, benefits offerings and employees identifies them as one of four distinct organizational profiles as follows:

Benefits Skeptic – a business that offers a less comprehensive benefits program and has employees who typically are unaware of, or not fully utilizing, available benefits offerings.
Simple Solutions – a business that provides only the most basic benefits, which may be leaving gaps in coverage and expectations from employees.
Benefits Believer – a business that leverages an innovative approach to designing benefits packages to meet the demands and preferences of a diverse mix of workers.
Talent Attractor – a business that offers a comprehensive benefits package and understands its employees' needs, which can help attract and retain talent.

Both tools incorporate findings from the 2011 and 2012 Aflac WorkForces Report (AWR), a proprietary research study of thousands of American workers and benefits decision-makers that identifies trends, attitudes and the forces affecting employee benefits. To view the 2012 AWR study results and methodology, visit AflacWorkForcesReport.com. To join the conversation, follow @aflac on Twitter.

About Aflac
When a policyholder gets sick or hurt, Aflac pays cash benefits fast. For more than 55 years, Aflac insurance policies have helped provide a safety net and give policyholders the opportunity to focus on recovery, not financial stress. In the United States, Aflac is the number one provider of guaranteed-renewable insurance. In Japan, Aflac is the number one life insurance company in terms of individual policies in force. Aflac insurance products provide protection to more than 50 million people worldwide. For six consecutive years, Aflac has been recognized by Ethisphere magazine as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies and by Forbes magazine as one of America's Best-Managed Companies in the Insurance category. In 2012, FORTUNE magazine recognized Aflac as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America for the 14th consecutive year. Also, FORTUNE magazine included Aflac on its list of Most Admired Companies for the 11th time in 2012. Aflac Incorporated is a Fortune 500 company listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AFL. To find out more about Aflac, visit aflac.com or aflacenespanol.com.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100423/CL92305LOGO )