Insurers are reporting modest increases in revenue from U.S. group life and U.S. individual disability policies already in force.
Combined revenue from employer-paid and employee-paid group life rose 3% in 2007, to $18 billion, even though premium revenue from new group life sales flattened out at about $2 billion, according to researchers at JHA, Portland, Maine.
In-force premium rates at the 32 insurers that participated in the JHA group life survey fell 1%, to 23 cents per $1,000 of coverage, while the average premium for new sales was about 19 cents per $1,000 of coverage.
Although coverage was cheaper, the average death benefit per covered employee fell 5% for new sales of employer-paid plans, to $63,598, while the average fell 3% for new employee-paid plans, to $72,979, JHA researchers report.
Meanwhile, the researchers who conducted the JHA U.S. individual disability insurance market survey, which included 15 carriers, say total individual disability insurance premium revenue increased 3%, to $4.2 billion as revenue from new sales jumped 7%, to $342 million.
The number of policies in force edged up about 1%.