Critical Illness and Accident/Personal Injury Coverage Lead Growth Products

In a recent report, voluntary critical illness insurance and accident/personal injury accident insurance both tied for first in terms of growth products for carriers over the next two to three years. Hospital indemnity/supplemental medical, universal life/whole life, and term life rounded out the top five. Hospital indemnity/supplemental medical products are new to this particular list in 2016, while universal life/whole life jumped ahead of term life in this year’s survey. Short-term disability fell out of the top five for the first time in four years.

In terms of growth products for the voluntary/worksite industry overall, critical illness again took the top spot, with hospital indemnity/supplemental medical taking over second place, moving accident to third.

Term life insurance is the most frequently offered voluntary product among the carriers responding to the survey. This was followed by critical illness and short-term disability and term, which tied for third. Very few of the participating carriers rated any voluntary product as “very profitable.” AD&D, accident/personal injury, and term life, however, were listed most frequently. The majority of carriers rated their products as having “average profitability,” which is similar to the 2012 and 2014 surveys. Cancer and long-term care coverage were the only products rated as “not profitable or financially attractive” by any of the respondents.

Voluntary Product Trends is an Eastbridge Frontline™ Report. Eastbridge Information Partners as well as survey participants receive the Frontline™ Reports free of charge. For more information regarding the Information Partner program or about Eastbridge reports, email the company at info@eastbridge.com or visit the website at www.eastbridge.com.