Benefit Advisors Network Launches National Health Care Reform Resource Site

CLEVELAND, OH (9/13/10) - Benefit Advisors Network (BAN) – the premier national network of independent benefit advisory and consulting companies – today announced it has developed Inform on Reform©, a national health care reform resource that is accessible via the web. This proprietary resource, developed exclusively for BAN members and their clients, provides legal expertise, which allows them to understand national health care reform (NHCR) and adjust accordingly for compliance as clarifications come out of Washington.

BAN's Compliance Director, Peter Marathas, and his team of employee benefit attorneys and specialists at the law firm of Proskauer Rose oversee Inform on Reform©. They work with BAN’s staff to ensure the new resource site provides an easy to understand overview of various components of NHCR, along with FAQ sections that expound on various provisions in the law. In addition, the new web site serves as a one-stop repository for NHCR materials and alerts that have been prepared by BAN for the members, or Smart Partners®. The site also provides helpful links to informational and governmental websites.

"We really see Inform on Reform© as vital to empowering our Smart Partners® as they seek to provide their clients with critical updates and guidance on compliance with health care reform measures. The law is poorly written and leaves a lot of unanswered questions,” said Deane Elek, BAN Director. “Inform on Reform has meaty substance that employers need. Through our Compliance Director and his team, our members’ clients have access to the finest legal advice available in the US."

Elek continues, “BAN selects members that differentiate themselves from their competitors through their knowledge of the industry, ethical approach, and strategic vision. Inform on Reform© is clearly one more powerful differentiator in our arsenal of resources and tools."

Inform on Reform© will be augmented by Legal eBlast Alerts that the Smart Partners® distribute to their clients - notifying them of important updates, clarifications and changes to NHCR as they happen. Legal eBlast Alerts will also direct them to critical information that will help them remain compliant and competitive as they navigate the rapid changes of NHCR.

About BAN

Founded in 2002 by five agencies, BAN is now the exclusive, premier, national credentialed network of independent, employee benefit brokerage and consulting companies. BAN delivers industry leading tools, technology, and expertise to member firms so that they can deliver optimum results to their employee benefit customers. BAN’s members, known as Smart Partners® partly because of their highly collaborative interactions, are screened prior to being granted membership to ensure they distinguish themselves from their competitors through their knowledge of the industry, their ethical approach, their business acumen, and their strategic vision.

To preserve and enhance the intimate level of sharing between the Smart Partners®, BAN turns away more candidates than they accept - ensuring its member firms are the best of the best in their market – and are peers with the most progressive and innovative employee benefit consultants and brokers from throughout the entire country.

For more information about Benefit Advisors Network, call 440-528-0301 or visit www.WhySmartPartners.com.