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Broadening member-benefit insurance plans

by John E. Adams, Chair, Board of Trustees, Group Insurance Plans for ACS Members
June 7, 2019 | A version of this story appeared in Volume 97, Issue 23

 

Photo of John Adams.
Credit: Peter Cutts Photography

We all know that American Chemical Society membership gives us access to world-class technical benefits. But in addition to providing access to resources to advance your career, ACS also provides solutions to help simplify your life through exclusive access to group insurance plans covering nearly every stage of life.

Since 1966, the ACS Board of Trustees has offered ACS members access to high-quality insurance plans and services. Although individuals these days often purchase insurance after reviewing what they can find on the internet, why not let the board of trustees do the in-depth research for you?

We offer insurance plans from highly rated carriers with proven track records. As a result, the Member Insurance Program (MIP) offers you, as an ACS member, the peace of mind that comes from having secured protection over your family’s financial future. And now we are happy to report that we are greatly expanding the availability of these insurance plans.

Working with our international broker, the board of trustees has contracted with Unilife, an online insurance platform, to offer life insurance coverage to members worldwide (unless local or US law prohibits sales to the particular country of residence). Up to $500,000 of life insurance coverage will now be available to ACS members living outside the US. Look for an announcement soon in C&EN for this worldwide insurance offering.

The Member Insurance Program represents stability and service to members—and of course, stability is one of the most important concerns when doing personal financial planning.

Last year we announced a new partnership with Metropolitan Life Insurance to offer auto, home, and other personal property insurance to US members. We now are broadening the scope of carriers available for auto and home insurance by providing access to SnapQuote. Using SnapQuote, you can compare prices and features for property insurance among several carriers, thus giving you a competitive advantage when shopping for this important insurance coverage.

By broadening the choices and features of the plans over the years, we work to make it easier for you to select the insurance plan that best fits your needs and those of your entire family. Covering basic needs, such as life, health, educator and professional liability, auto, and homeowners insurance, the MIP helps members reach their long-term professional and financial goals. The MIP represents stability and service to members—and of course, stability is one of the most important concerns when doing personal financial planning. You can take comfort in knowing that plans you enroll in through ACS are portable and that your coverage is not dependent on your current employer. As long as you maintain your ACS membership and pay your premiums, your coverage will continue even if you change jobs or stop working.

There is a substantial benefit to purchasing insurance through ACS. Through the use of group purchasing power, the MIP is able to provide plans that are competitively priced and offer better benefits than you might be able to purchase as an individual.

The board of trustees consists of nine ACS member volunteers who regularly review the insurance and financial security products offered to members as well as the companies that offer those products. The board typically endorses only insurance carriers that are rated “A” or better for financial strength by AM Best, an independent insurance-rating agency. We also consider the breadth of the offerings and customer service capabilities to ensure that our members receive the best plans available from the top insurance carriers.

The MIP continues to be financially sound because of a prudent investment policy and careful management of the program. No member dues are used to administer the program, and insurance trust investment gains in excess of MIP administrative expenses are periodically distributed to ACS for the benefit of society programs. The Board of Trustees of the Group Insurance Plans for ACS Members remains committed to expanding and improving the insurance and financial security products offered to ACS members.

I urge you not to overlook the personal value of these other nontechnical, member-only benefits from your society. Please let us know how we can better serve you by calling 800-227-5558, ext. 2119, or by emailing us at memins@acs.org.

Views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of C&EN or ACS.

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