marilu henner adds star power to life insurance awareness month
press release from Life-Line.org

ACTRESS MARILU HENNER ADDS STAR POWER TO LIFE INSURANCE AWARENESS MONTH

Campaign taking shape as September nears

May 26, 2005 – Calling on a personal story to illustrate the importance of life insurance, actress and New York Times best-selling author Marilu Henner, star of the hit television shows Taxi and Evening Shade, and the upcoming Hallmark Television Production miniseries Gone But Not Forgotten, will serve as spokesperson for the second annual observance of Life Insurance Awareness Month, an industry-wide initiative to take place in September.

Having lost her father to a heart attack when she was only 17 years old, Marilu knows firsthand the financial relief that life insurance provides. Her father was the sole breadwinner in the family and worked hard to make ends meet. When he died, he left behind a wife, six children and considerable debts. Proceeds from his life insurance policy were used to cover final expenses, pay off debts and keep the family in their home. Though Marilu’s mother had to go to work for the first time following her husband’s death, Marilu credits her father’s life insurance with leaving the family in a stable financial situation.

“It’s hard to imagine how much more difficult life would have been for my mom and my five brothers and sisters had my dad not had the life insurance,” said Marilu Henner. “I have spent my life working to educate people about the benefits of healthy living, but even healthy people need a back-up plan because you never know what life has in store for you. My dad was the picture of health before his heart attack at age 52. I hope that by sharing my story with the millions of people who are underinsured, they’ll gain a deeper understanding of how important it is to have adequate life insurance coverage.”

Marilu’s participation in Life Insurance Awareness Month was secured by the LIFE Foundation. In addition to coordinating the industry-wide Life Insurance Awareness Month campaign. LIFE plans to spend millions of dollars in September educating consumers about the benefits of life insurance and the importance of seeking advice from qualified insurance professionals. LIFE’s publicity plans include print and radio advertising, the annual eight-page realLIFEstories special section that will appear in the September 12, 2005 issue of Newsweek, multi-page special sections in TIME, Parents, Child and Ser Padres magazines, aggressive outreach to the news media, a series of radio Public Service Announcements, and the “LIFE Lessons” Essay Contest, a college scholarship program in which students will describe the emotional and financial impact of losing a parent at a young age.

“Marilu’s story is a wonderful example of how life insurance protects a family from financial hardship, and we’re excited to have her anchoring our efforts to get Americans focused on their need for coverage,” said David F. Woods, CLU, ChFC, LIFE’s president

More than 100 insurance companies and industry trade groups participated in the inaugural Life Insurance Awareness Month campaign in September 2004. Companies supported last year’s campaign with a wide range of marketing communications efforts including consumer advertising, direct marketing campaigns, Web promotions, producer incentive programs, campaign signage in field offices, and new sales and marketing resources. Many companies also used September as an opportunity to remind their own employees about the importance of having adequate life insurance coverage.

This year, LIFE expects even more life insurance organizations to participate in the campaign. Many companies have already indicated that they will participate in September including:

AAA Life Insurance Company, AXA Financial, Allstate, AccuQuote, American Family Insurance, American Slovenian Catholic Union, The Ameritas Acacia Companies, Baltimore Life, Bankers Fidelity, Boston Mutual Life Insurance Company, Catholic Family Life Insurance, Catholic Knights, Central States Health and Life Company of Omaha, Citicorp Insurance Agency, Inc., an affiliate of Citibank, COUNTRY Financial, Farm Family Life Insurance Company, Farmers New World Life Insurance, First Investors Corporation, Genworth Financial, Gleaner Life Insurance Society, Great-West Life & Annuity Insurance Company, Harleysville Life Insurance Company, The Hartford, Illinois Mutual Life Insurance Company, ING, Jackson National Life, Jefferson Pilot Financial, John Hancock, Kansas City Life, Lincoln Benefit Life Company, MassMutual Financial Group, Modern Woodmen Of America, Monumental Life Insurance Company, National Mutual Benefit, National Slovak Society, Nationwide Life Insurance Company, New York Life Insurance Company, North American Company for Life and Health Insurance, Old Mutual Financial Network, OneAmerica, Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company, Principal Financial Group, Protective Life Insurance Company, Prudential Insurance Company of America, RBC Liberty Insurance, Royal Neighbors of America, Slovak Catholic Sokol, Southern Farm Bureau Life, State Farm Life Insurance Company, TIAA-CREF, Tennessee Farmers Life Insurance Companies, The Union Central Life Insurance Company, Transamerica Life Insurance Company, Vantis Life Insurance Company, Western Fraternal Life Association, Western Reserve Life, Woman's Life Insurance Society, The Cincinnati Life Insurance Company, Sentry Life Insurance Company.

“The number of organizations planning to participate in Life Insurance Awareness Month is very encouraging,” said Mr. Woods. “Our ability to motivate people to get the coverage they need in September and beyond totally depends on how committed the industry is to reaching the public with our messages and our products. I urge anyone still on the sidelines to join this important industry-wide effort.”

Organizations or individuals wishing to learn more about the campaign should contact Jon Dressner at jdressner@lifefdn.org or 202-464-5000 ext 117.

About Life Insurance Awareness Month
Life Insurance Awareness Month was created in response to growing concern about the large number of Americans who lack adequate life insurance protection. LIMRA estimates that more than 60 million adult Americans are inadequately insured. Forty percent of adult Americans have no life insurance coverage whatsoever. On average, insured adults have coverage equal to just 3.0 years of replacement income, which is far less than most experts recommend. Held each September, Life Insurance Awareness Month is an industry-wide effort that is coordinated by the LIFE Foundation.

About LIFE
The Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education (LIFE) was founded in 1994 in response to the public’s growing need for information and education on life, health, disability and long-term care insurance. LIFE also seeks to remind people of the important role insurance professionals perform in helping families, businesses and individuals find the insurance products that best fit their needs. To learn more about these topics, please visit www.life-line.org.