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Also in this issue:

• Cover
• Managing worksite persistency
  By Gil Lowerre
• Voluntary participation rates—are they too low?
  (Part 2) By Bonnie Brazzell
• 2005 worksite sales results
• Product trends in worksite
• New Spotlight Reports
• Who gets to pick?
• Benefit cost increases continue to moderate
• 2006 company sales ranking recognition
• Why is this business so difficult?
• Research program update

Past Issues

• 2007
• 2006

Summer 2006 / No. 68

Benefit cost increases continue to moderate

Employers’ benefit costs have been increasing, but at a much slower rate. Benefit costs, increasing at 6.5 percent in 2004, are now increasing at only 3 percent according to the Labor Department. And while benefit elimination is having some impact, BusinessWeek reports that businesses are keeping costs down "mainly by shifting more of the burden of paying (for benefits) to workers." Apparently, voluntary business is both driven by, and is an indicator of, increasing corporate efficiency.