SCHAUMBURG, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 25, 2006--As employers strive to broaden their benefit portfolios, demand is growing for benefits that go beyond traditional health and dental discount programs. Most notably, employees are increasingly calling for help in the areas of identity theft protection and legal protection.
"It's clear that employees at many organizations need help," said Eric Kirchner, national sales leader for Benefit Solutions by GE, GE's line of employee health discount and legal benefit products. "There is a huge and growing demand for programs that can help employees defray the high costs of healthcare, as well as reduce the threat from a variety of other risks."
According to the Federal Trade Commission, identity theft is one of the fastest growing and most personally devastating non-violent crimes in the United States. Meanwhile, when it comes to legal matters, studies show that taking time away from work to resolve legal issues is a leading cause of costly employee work absences.
Among the cost-effective options available for employees through Benefit Solutions by GE are identity theft protection and legal assistance benefit programs. GE's identity theft protection helps employees guard against the menacing risk of fraud, while GE's legal assistance benefit programs give employees peace of mind and help businesses combat a leading cause of absenteeism and employee stress.
In a recent study conducted for GE, 55 percent of employers were "significantly interested" in GE's legal assistance benefit program for employees. Of those, 81 percent considered the plan to be "comprehensive."
"Employees are spending money and time on benefit and personal issues today more than ever before," said Kirchner. "So businesses are looking for useful, cost-effective enhancements to their benefit programs. That's where GE can help."
"Employees are asking for more voluntary benefits," Kirchner said. "We can provide employers what they need to round out their benefit portfolios, so they can recruit great new employees and take better care of the ones they have."
Benefit Solutions by GE provides a portfolio of non-insurance health discount options that can be incorporated separately or as a group, including dental, vision, prescription, legal and supplemental options. Employers are able to select the benefits that best suit their businesses while providing employees meaningful, on-the-spot savings.
About Benefit Solutions by GE:
Benefit Solutions by GE, part of GE Consumer Finance, is a leading provider of convenient employee benefit options including health discount programs, dental discount plans and innovative legal coverage. For more information, call 1-847-605-4853 or e-mail [email protected].
ABOUT GE CONSUMER FINANCE:
GE Consumer Finance, a unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE), with $163 billion in assets, is a leading provider of credit services to consumers, retailers and auto dealers in 50 countries around the world. GE Consumer Finance, based in Stamford, Connecticut (USA), offers a range of financial products, including private label credit cards, personal loans, bank cards, auto loans and leases, mortgages, corporate travel and purchasing cards, debt consolidation and home equity loans, and credit insurance. More information can be found at www.geconsumerfinance.com.
GE (NYSE: GE) is Imagination at Work -- a diversified technology, media and financial services company focused on solving some of the world's toughest problems. With products and services ranging from aircraft engines, power generation, water processing and security technology to medical imaging, business and consumer financing, media content and advanced materials, GE serves customers in more than 100 countries and employs more than 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.ge.com.
Contacts
Media:
GE Consumer Finance
Gene Ullrich
Office: 847-605-7005
Mobile: 847-471-5661
[email protected]
Cristy Williams
[email protected]
678.518.2596