Titus County hears pitches from Globe Life and Aflac for employee supplemental benefits

Lisa Blanton, a Globe Life National representative, told the Titus County Commissioners Court that her division offers a guaranteed-issue life policy and a discount card to county employees at no cost for the first year.

“Everyone that works here is gonna get 2 things for absolutely no cost whatsoever,” Blanton said, and she added that Globe Life’s parent company pays advertising costs through major sports sponsorships so the product can be offered without expense to the county or employees.

Blanton described the life policy as guaranteed issue for employees with preexisting conditions and said coverage is portable and structured so premium payments are complete by age 65 while coverage can continue to age 100. She also described a discount card she said would provide “a 10 to 85” (discount range stated in meeting packet) and presented a tax-savings worksheet the vendor included in the meeting packet.

Whitney, an Aflac representative, presented supplemental accident, cancer and short-term hospital products and emphasized local customer service and claims support. Whitney said Aflac staff provide direct enrollment and local claims assistance so employees do not need to use a national call center.

“All they have to do is call us. They have our personal cell phone numbers,” Whitney said, describing the company’s local-claims assistance and reenrollment process.

Commissioners noted the county currently has a supplemental provider under contract through 2027 and said the presentations were informational. No county action was taken; commissioners said they may revisit supplemental-benefit options for employees at a future date.

Why it matters: Supplemental plans can affect take-home pay and payroll-tax withholding and may influence employee recruitment and retention. Vendors told the court the products are structured to be tax-advantaged to employees and to provide portability and guaranteed issue in some cases.