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Featured Financial Services, Insurance Article, consumer-directed health plan
Premium Content
What employers think about consumer-directed health plans

July 2007

Executives should treat them as programs, not products.

Featured Financial Services, Insurance Article, business management strategy
Premium Content
Building profitable auto insurers in China

June 2007

The auto insurance market is booming, but the carriers’ profits are not.

Featured Financial Services, Insurance Article, overhauling us health care
Premium Content
Overhauling the US health care payment system

June 2007

During the next five years, rapid innovation may restructure the value chain of health care payments and change the sector’s balance of power.

The Archive

2007
The retail revolution in health insurance Premium Content

March 2007

More and more, payers are dealing with individual consumers, not companies. They will have to change their products, their mind-sets, and their competencies.

2006
An executive perspective on employee benefits: A McKinsey Survey Premium Content

June 2006

Executives say employee benefits help companies compete but have an incomplete understanding of benefits and how they perform.

A life insurance policy for China Premium Content

March 2006

A strong life insurance industry could help China tackle its economic and social challenges.

Better customer segmentation for European auto insurers Premium Content

February 2006

A new approach to identifying valuable customers can help traditional carriers stay competitive.

2005
Strategic choices for European P&C insurers Premium Content

December 2005

The low prices and strong brands of property and casualty start-ups hint at strategies for traditional players in Europe.

Helping retirees pay for health care Premium Content

November 2005

Medicare Part D is only the starting point for a far larger opportunity.

What employees think about consumer-directed health plans

November 2005

The evidence suggests that CDHP members are more value conscious.

Designing better employee benefits Premium Content

June 2005

Adopting a product developer's approach to designing a benefits package can help employers get more value from their health care investments.

The coming convergence of US health care and financial services Premium Content

June 2005

As the changing landscape offers new opportunities, successful companies will choose one of three roles and invest in new capabilities now.

Manufacturing lessons for service industries: An interview with AXA's Claude Brunet Premium Content

May 2005

The management-board member responsible for operations explains how the company is exploiting ideas pioneered by manufacturers.

Taking the risk out of retirement

May 2005

Financial institutions around the world can help people retire with more income and less uncertainty.

An operating edge for insurers

April 2005

To be distinctive, carriers must provide high-quality, personalized service to agents while keeping costs under control.

Health savings accounts: Making patients better consumers

January 2005

A tax-deferred savings vehicle that is changing the consumer’s mind-set could rein in the rising cost of US health care.

2004
Limiting churn in insurance Premium Content

December 2004

Customer segmentation can help companies target their retention efforts more effectively.

Selling life insurance to China Premium Content

December 2004

The hour is late for foreign companies that haven’t already entered the Chinese market, but not too late for those with strong skills and creative strategies.

Life insurers look to IT Premium Content

November 2004

New IT investments are capable not only of making insurance companies more efficient but also of mitigating the losses from agents who leave.

The real risks of credit derivatives

November 2004

Good risk management is crucial for companies in this opaque market.

A smarter investment strategy for insurers Premium Content

February 2004

The time has come for insurance companies to reconsider their approach to risk and reward.

2003
Assessing insurance deals Premium Content

May 2003

Stock markets didn’t look kindly on M&A deals in the insurance industry during the 1990s, but a few fared better than most.

Hidden flaws in strategy Premium Content

May 2003

Can insights from behavioral economics explain why good executives back bad strategies?

Lower repair costs for European auto insurers Premium Content

February 2003

Web-based systems and recent regulatory changes are helping insurers establish better—and cheaper—repair networks.

2001
Mutually assured survival Premium Content

August 2001

Mutual insurers must use their capital more productively, but there are many ways to do so.

Insuring profits Premium Content

May 2001

Although it has become harder and harder to make money selling auto and home owners' insurance, established retail insurers still have one effective weapon: better pricing.

2000
Net premium Premium Content

August 2000

The apparent belief of personal-lines property-casualty insurance companies that they can hold back the tide of electronic commerce puts them at risk of being deluged by it.

M&A in Asian insurance Premium Content

May 2000

Many Asian insurers now realize that they need Western investment and know-how, and pressure is building because Asian regulators, sobered by huge overall portfolio losses, are relaxing restrictions on foreign ownership.

1999
Capital punishment Premium Content

November 1999

Most insurance companies are massively overcapitalized. They should find better ways to use their shareholders’ money.

Brokers vs. insurers Premium Content

August 1999

Brokers are consolidating globally. Insurers are paying the price. New entrants threaten both sides of the industry.

Reviving German life insurance Premium Content

August 1999

Restructuring and consolidation are just beginning: Insurers will have to redefine their way of doing business.

1998
Can European insurers create value? Premium Content

August 1998

The market is sending a clear message: Insurers must radically improve their performance and increase their size, simultaneously. Core skills—buying and selling as well as leveraging intangible assets—will be key.

Must it always be risky business Premium Content

February 1998

Companies insure against property and casualty loss; why not against rogue trading, new product failure, and other business risks? Business risk insurance should be thought of as a new and efficient source of capital. But banks and insurers will need to integrate and tailor products.

1997
A vision for worksite marketing Premium Content

August 1997

A new channel to meet all the financial needs of employees. Convenience and cost will be important, but education could be the key that unlocks latent demand.

Commercial lines insurance in Europe Premium Content

August 1997

The basis of competition is shifting from capital to knowledge. Larger insurers are well placed to succeed. Smaller players face a shrinking pie.

1996
New Strategies for European insurance Premium Content

November 1996

Corporate premiums for predictable risks will likely disappear. Four very different value propositions are emerging. Supplementing welfare, asset gatherers, or service providers?

1993
Facing up to the losses Premium Content

May 1993

An analysis of the European insurance industry on the verge of a structural shake-up.

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