Article: Benefit Binge: Voluntary benefits allow employers to add benefit value at little extra cost, but beware of all-you-can-eat buffets.

Like chefs who rekindle patrons' interest in their menus by adding one or two new dishes, employers are spicing up their benefits packages with voluntary benefits.

According to LIMRA's 2007 Voluntary Benefits Report Card, among U.S. firms with 10 or more employees, the percentage that offer six or more voluntary benefits jumped from 11% in 2002 to 16% in 2006.

"As the costs escalate in all aspects of business, I think the voluntary business is just going to grow," says Jason Ferger, a York, Pa.-based independent broker specializing in voluntary benefits. Furthermore, he adds, "as the voluntary market becomes more established and people become better ...

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