According to Aon Hewitt’s 2016 study of medical trend expectations of employer-sponsored medical plans in 90 countries, the cost of employer-sponsored medical plans is continuing to rise as in previous years and still significantly outpace global inflation. Average Medical Trend Rates by Region 2015 2016 Medical trend rate Annual general inflation rate Medical trend rate Annual general inflation rate Asia Pacific 10.4% 4.2% 9.4% 3.2% Europe 5.7% 1.6% 5.9% 1.6%

Melissa Ruchhoeft in March 2016 joined the Global Benefits Practice of Lockton Benefit as a Senior Consultant. Melissa comes to Lockton from Gallagher Benefit Services, where she served as the Area Vice President of the company’s Multinational Technical Consulting Unit. Before that, she was the Vice President of Technical Services at IBIS, which was acquired by AJ Gallagher in 2014. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Wellesley

250 U.S. employers, representing nearly 7 million workers, recently took part in the “2016 Hot Topics in Retirement and Financial Well-Being” survey conducted in late 2015 by Aon Hewitt that revealed plans by large employers to expand their current financial well-being programs for their employees in 2016. The survey indicated that 55 percent of employers currently offer some sort of help for workers in the areas of budgeting, money

Modern Survey, a Minneapolis, U.S.A.-based employee survey and talent analytics solutions provider, has been acquired by Aon Hewitt in February 2016. In search of new sources of revenues, large employee benefits consulting firms are diversifying into and/or expanding employee engagement services. Modern Survey is responsible for software solutions in the areas of talent analytics, onboarding, 360o feedback, engagement, retention, performance, and measurement. Modern Survey’s current offerings are visible at

Insurope and Ping An are hosting the 29th Insurope Conference in Beijing, China from 1-3 June 2016. This conference is free of charge and designed to bring together Insurope team members, advisors and persons responsible for international employee benefits. Client attendees work for benefits, risk management, finance and human resources departments. The conference allows to share experiences with peers dealing with all manners of employee benefits issues ranging from

A 2015 survey of U.K. defined contribution (DC) pension plans reveals that there is a disconnect between what new initiatives they want to deliver and what they can actually provide. The Aon DC Survey 2015 revealed that out of 330 respondents from 297 U.K. DC pension plans, 57% of respondents feel that the top priority for DC schemes is better member outcomes, while 47% identified the need for specific

Lockton has named two-time British National Cycling champion Mark Kelly as Regional Commercial Lead for its Asia Pacific division after an extensive talent search. Kelly was hired from Aon’s Health and Benefits Asia Pacific division, and arrives with 12 years’ experience providing strategic advice and relationship management solutions to multinational companies around the globe. Kelly, who holds 23 British Championship medals in total, won the top spot first in

Lockton, the Kansas City-based risk management, insurance, and employee benefits consulting service, has just chosen Andrew Merrilees to head their Asia-Pacific Benefits operation based in Singapore. Lockton’s search for new leadership began in 2015, prompted by a surge in investment and growth in the Asia-Pacific region. Mike Tyler, Head of Lockton UK Employee Benefits, expressed confidence that the addition of Merrilees allows the company to drive faster development of

Nursing homes and long-term care (LTC) facilities face rising liability costs in the coming years unless they can find alternatives to litigation. According to a national study that surveyed 35 U.S. providers operating an aggregate 240,000 LTC beds, the overall national LTC loss rate is expected to increase by 5 percent annually, driven by a 3 percent rise in litigation claim frequency. These findings were the result of the

Generali Employee Benefits in February 2016 released a special issue of its newsletter entirely devoted to the African continent, available for download here. The 28-page PDF booklet covers the region’s macroeconomic outlook (good despite multiple challenges), provides an overview of the African employee benefits industry (still in infancy but with positive trends emerging – and already some degree of complexity and regulations that one needs to be aware of)

IGP hosts the Americas regional version of its international employee benefits seminar in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on September 15, 2016. During the seminar, HR professionals, C&B specialists, Risk Managers and Finance Executives of all levels have the opportunity to discuss past, current and future employee benefits trends with industry specialists and their peers. A mix of country panels with a focus on the Americas is provided, along with topical

IGP hosts the Asia-Pacific regional version of its international employee benefits seminar in Singapore on September 29, 2016. During the seminar, HR professionals, C&B specialists, Risk Managers and Finance Executives of all levels have the opportunity to discuss past, current and future employee benefits trends with industry specialists and their peers. A mix of country panels with a focus on the Asia-Pacific region is provided, along with topical plenary

IGP hosts the EMEA regional version of its international employee benefits seminar in Windsor, U.K. from May 24 to 26, 2016. Windsor is located 40 km to the West of London. During the seminar, HR professionals, C&B specialists, Risk Managers and Finance Executives of all levels have the opportunity to discuss past, current and future employee benefits trends with industry specialists and their peers. A mix of country panels

IGP hosts an event aimed at Malaysian subsidiaries and advisors in Penang, Malaysia on Wednesday on April 27, 2016. The programme includes an introduction to pooling and other topical sessions about employee benefits trends. There is no fee to attend. More information and registration here.

IGP hosts an event aimed at Malaysian subsidiaries and advisors in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Tuesday on April 26, 2016. The programme includes an introduction to pooling and other topical sessions about employee benefits trends. There is no fee to attend. More information and registration here.  

IGP hosts an event aimed at Indonesian subsidiaries and advisors at Manulife’s offices in Jakarta, Indonesia on Tuesday, April 19, 2016. The programme includes an introduction to pooling and other topical sessions about employee benefits trends. There is no fee to attend. More information and registration here.

Lockton Global Benefits is hosting its annual Global Benefits Forum in three locations in 2016: Chicago, London and Singapore, responding to a growing trend among corporations to reduce travel by employees. Regardless, in-person meetings and conferences are still irreplaceable for focused learning and for networking; hence, industry conferences are a good investment of time and money for global employee benefits practitioners and experts alike. The theme of each Forum

Lockton Global Benefits is hosting its annual Global Benefits Forum in three locations in 2016: Chicago, London and Singapore, responding to a growing trend among corporations to reduce travel by employees. Regardless, in-person meetings and conferences are still irreplaceable for focused learning and for networking; hence, industry conferences are a good investment of time and money for global employee benefits practitioners and experts alike. The theme of each Forum

Lockton Global Benefits is hosting its annual Global Benefits Forum in three locations in 2016: Chicago, London and Singapore, responding to a growing trend among corporations to reduce travel by employees. Regardless, in-person meetings and conferences are still irreplaceable for focused learning and for networking; hence, industry conferences are a good investment of time and money for global employee benefits practitioners and experts alike. The theme of each Forum

The 2016 edition of the IBIS Academy will be held in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, from May 23 to May 27, 2016. For its 46th iteration, IBIS will include a new three-day Mobility track, devoted to Global Mobility and co-developed and co-hosted with AIRINC. IBIS Academy participants choose one of three distinct tracks intended for different audiences: the IBIS Institute, a “boot camp” for practitioners; the IBIS Conference, a series