North American life insurance co’s still planning

    Many North American Life Insurers Still in Planning Stage for Flu Pandemic
                 

    ATLANTA, April 25 /PRNewswire/ -- North American life insurance
companies lag behind their international counterparts in their preparation
for a possible avian influenza pandemic, according to a survey conducted
during the first two weeks of April 2006. LOMA, a leading global
association of life insurance companies, sponsored the survey, which was
distributed to its members in North America and in the rest of the world.
There were 155 responses, more than one-quarter of which were from outside
North America, chiefly from Asia.
    The LOMA survey found that about one-third of North American life
insurers have plans in place to address a flu pandemic. In contrast, more
than half of life insurers elsewhere have pandemic plans. Asian companies
were particularly likely to have pandemic plans.
    In general, pandemic response plans differ from ordinary disaster
recovery and business continuity plans in their emphasis on human resource
issues and on work at home. Many North American life insurers that do not
yet have such plans are in the process of preparing them.
    The survey also examines insurer plans to have their staff work at home
and to protect the health of their employees. It also presents information
regarding insurer stockpiling of antiviral medications, personal protective
equipment and hand sanitizers.
    Results of the survey are available to LOMA members on LOMA's Web site-
http://www.loma.org. A forthcoming LOMA research report examines the
features of insurer pandemic plans now in place, as revealed by the
qualitative results to this survey.

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