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Since education is a critical component of successful voluntary programs, this resource provides an increasing compilation of proprietary and non-proprietary articles. Home / Articles / Employee Benefit News Articles / Star athlete promotes prudent benefits selection Font Size: Star athlete promotes prudent benefits selection by Editorial Staff September 16, 2008 With another annual open-enrollment season getting under way, it may take a little star power to convince employees to devote more time reviewing and understanding the importance of selecting and upgrading a host of voluntary benefits such as life, disability, critical illness, medical, vision and dental insurance.   Olympic gold medalist, Mia Hamm, has teamed up with The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America for an educational video that highlights how workplace benefits can help employees protect themselves and stay healthy.   “As a soccer player and soccer mom, I have a commitment to ensuring my family is financially protected, and a big part of this is making the right insurance choices,” according to Hamm, whose foundation is seeking to raise awareness for families in need of a marrow or cord blood transplant.   “The benefit offerings available to employees change from year to year,” she continued in a prepared statement, “so it’s important that they keep abreast of those changes and understand new plans as they become available. It’s also important for employees to make sure their protection needs keep up with life changes like marriage, a new baby or a new home.”   Guardian research shows that employees on average spend only 1.4 hours a year deciding on their benefits coverage compared with 4.9 hours of holiday shopping. Other notable findings indicate that nearly half of all employees don’t realize that employer-paid disability income benefits are taxable, while many of them don’t fully understand differences between an FSA, HSA and HRA. The carrier, which targets the small and midsize worksite market, is also working with the Life Foundation to promote Life Insurance Awareness Month in September. Any use of this information without written permission from Employee Benefit News and Voluntary.com, LLC is prohibited. Go to Employee Benefit News Print this article      Email this article • Return to Employee Benefit News Articles • See Employee Benefit Adviser Articles