Health care, financial security and insurance regulation are just a few of the many issues that impact all of us. At Unum, we believe strongly that one of the responsibilities we have to our customers, our employees and our communities is to engage in public discourse on these and other issues.

“Working people today face dangerous gaps in their financial security, and we are advocates for continued cooperation between the public and private sectors to address this critical need,” says CEO Tom Watjen.

Both individually and as part of a larger industry coalition, we meet with legislators and government officials regularly to educate them about disability, long-term care and voluntary benefits, and to urge them to preserve and strengthen employee benefits and the distribution network that delivers them. Part of that work includes being members of trade associations such as the Financial Services Roundtable, the American Council of Life Insurers and America’s Health Insurance Plans.

“Decisions in Congress and Parliament can have a significant impact on our markets and our customers,” adds Watjen. “Our commitment has been especially targeted toward educating policymakers in both the U.S. and the U.K. on the role our industry plays in protecting people’s financial well-being.”

Through our political action committees in the U.S. – UnumPAC and Colonial Life’s COLPAC – we have also been actively involved in health care reform, including educating legislators on the difference between our products and major medical insurance. Distinguishing our employer-provided benefits from health-related products helps to also underscore the importance of the functions they serve.

At the end of the day, we believe that individuals and their families will continue to look to the workplace to acquire the protection they need from financial uncertainty. As a result, we’ll work hard to ensure the issues of financial security and access to benefits are well understood.