America's Benefit Specialist November 2023

technology leadership, their healthcare industry expertise, and the opportunity to offer critical services to enhance client experience and meet emerging broker and client needs.” The first proprietary collaboration between MGIS and Re liance Matrix is Disability Guard for Doctors, a long-term dis ability product blending the policy provisions of an individual product with the guaranteed issue and simplified adminis tration of a group LTD plan. Marketed through independent brokers and agents, benefit solutions also include short-term disability, group life and accidental death & dismemberment plans. Access to Reliance Matrix’s patented HR technology tools and plat form integrations, and a full suite of value-added services including financial wellness, employee assistance, 24-hour travel assistance, and identity theft recovery services, will also be available. For more information, visit www.MGIS.com. JOHN HANCOCK INTRODUCES LIFE INSURANCE WITH OPTIONAL LONG-TERM CARE PROTECTION TO EMPLOYERS On September 25, John Hancock, a unit of Toronto-based Manulife, announced the launch of a new Premier Benefit In dexed Universal Life (IUL) individual product in the voluntary benefit employer space. This new permanent life insurance product, available through the workplace, offers a streamlined digital process for employees to receive an instant offer for personally owned coverage. If available through their employer, employees may choose to enhance their protection with optional rider cover age for long-term care needs. Additionally, all policies will be issued with John Hancock’s Vitality PLUS rider, which offers savings and rewards for the everyday things people do to live longer, healthier, better lives. This new product is designed to help satisfy a broad range of employer and employee goals while providing value throughout the life of the policy. Features include: • a fully digital application process from start to finish • complete portability as employees fully own their policy • income tax-free growth potential tied to the performance of one S&P-linked indexed account and a fixed account • optional long-term care protection that offers supplemen tal coverage that allows employees to accelerate their poli cy’s death benefit in the event of a long-term care need • opportunity to participate in Vitality PLUS, which com bines the financial protection of life insurance with a technology-enabled program that offers education, sup-

nomenal things happen when you bring brilliantly passion ate people together and agree on a core mission to serve employers rather than sell them,” stated Dunkelberger. ClearPoint’s entrance into the medical stop-loss market place comes as captives enter a new era of growth, with broadening commercial market adoption led by the con tinued migration of employers seeking refuge from fully in sured and level-funded insurance products, shifting to more transparent and affordable self-funded arrangements. Captives have demonstrated their utility by organizing employers with 10 to 1,000 employees into a shared vehicle that is able to stabilize the cost of all necessary components for self-funding, while generating improved experience and cost for members. In AM Best’s recent report, Feasibility and Utility Sustain Rated Captives’ Excellent Profitability, captives have not only been a successful mechanism for managing risk but are especially effective at managing risk over long periods of time, lessoning volatility in medical and pharma ceutical claim expenses. ClearPoint’s captive platform is designed to service em ployers ranging from 10 to 1,000 employees as well as partner directly with benefit advisors. Members using the platform can dynamically elect and shop their preferred service part ners, including third-party administrators, pharmacy benefit managers, networks, clinical cost management and clinical quality improvement enhancers, and more. With a focus on the advisor-employer relationship, ClearPoint offers full trans parency on all fees, progressive stop-loss programs, root cause claims analytics and intelligence, as well as an advi sor-first approach to marketing and employer engagement. For more information, visit www.getclearpoint.com. MGIS AND RELIANCE MATRIX PARTNER TO OFFER SPECIALIZED INSURANCE PROGRAMS FOR DOCTOR GROUP PRACTICES MGIS, a national insurance program manager that builds specialized insurance programs for doctors, and Reliance Ma trix, a provider of financial protection and absence-manage ment solutions, have partnered to offer disability insurance and specialty coverages to doctor group practices. Togeth er, the two organizations will serve doctors in all practice settings and medical specialties, building comprehensive benefits solutions. Hospitals and health systems occupy the largest segment of Reliance Matrix’s book of business, owing in part to ab sence-management technology solutions and HR platform integration. “We have partnered with insurance carriers to bring doctor groups the highest quality specialized disability insurance for more than 50 years,” said Jeff Brunken, president of MGIS. “We decided to partner with Reliance Matrix because of their

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