Associations have always extolled the advantages of belonging to a group, such as networking opportunities, professional development, career advancement, and advocacy.
Many associations also provide a similar advantage on a range of products and services, including insurance. They leverage their “group power” to offer their members insurance products with features, benefits or pricing not commonly found on an individual basis. These products are often designed to supplement coverage members get through employment or other means.
Professional associations have a long history of providing this kind of value to their members. As far back as the 19th century, guilds and trade organizations offered collective benefits to their members. These early groups recognized that professionals working together could leverage their collective bargaining power to obtain better terms and lower costs for products like health insurance, life insurance, and liability coverage.
Through organizations such as the Trust for Insuring Educators, associations work directly with insurance brokers and carriers to develop or customize insurance products that are made available to their members.
Lower cost is one reason to buy coverage through an association. Typically, associations offer access to group rates, often with lower premiums compared to the cost an average member would pay for comparable individual coverage. Insurance underwriters are willing to offer lower rates on groups policies because sales and administrative costs can be lower and potentially, they can spread the underwriting risk across a larger pool of insureds.
Besides cost, other benefits to members include:
Better Coverage Options. Associations often partner with top-tier providers, giving members access to high-quality plans. Many association-sponsored policies offer customized coverage options that cater specifically to the needs of their industry, whether it’s specialized liability insurance for a certain profession or supplemental health benefits designed for workers in a particular field.
Convenience and Efficiency. When members buy insurance through an association, they often benefit from streamlined enrollment processes.
Quality Assurance. Associations work with insurance experts to evaluate the strength and reliability of insurance carriers and select or design the policies they sponsor. Members benefit from this expertise.
Exclusive Benefits and Discounts. Many associations negotiate additional benefits and discounts for their members. This could include discounts on products and services, access to financial planning resources, or exclusive networking opportunities with service providers. In some cases, associations may even offer access to specialized training or education programs designed to help members make the most of their insurance and legal benefits.
Your professional association’s member insurance program is administered by Forrest T. Joens & Company (FTJ), a family-owned insurance broker/administrator founded in 1953. FTJ works with highly rated industry leaders such as New York Life, MetLife, Travelers, Farmers and Aflac — companies with a proven record of financial strength and commitment to meet their obligations to policyholders — to provide members / employees with access to high quality insurance plans at favorable group rates.
Your association program offers a number of coverage options for life and health insurance, home & auto insurance, and professional liability insurance. However, not all coverages are available in all state.
To see the plans available to you, enter your ZIP Code and select your association where indicated on the home page of this website.