Dina began by explaining that Colonial Life offers voluntary, employee-paid benefits such as disability, accident, life insurance, cancer, and dental. Colonial has partnered with URL for many years, typically working with groups under 100 employees but able to support groups as small as three. These voluntary benefits can help strengthen relationships with employer groups and expand existing benefit offerings. Colonial Life recently partnered with Tuned, a hearing health benefit designed to fill the gap that exists in many benefit packages, as most employers offer medical, dental, and vision, but very few offer true hearing coverage. Tuned provides meaningful value compared to typical discount programs.

Colonial Life is offering Tuned to new groups with 10 to 100 employees. To offer the benefit, the group must also have three Colonial Life products. Additionally, there are eight industries—such as manufacturing and construction—that qualify for the first year of Tuned at no cost to the employer. After the first year, the price is $1.20 per employee per month. This benefit has already helped open doors with employer groups that were previously difficult to access.

Elizabeth then introduced Tuned. Tuned is a comprehensive hearing health benefit that supports people from prevention through intervention. The goal is to help individuals before they develop hearing loss and to assist those who already have hearing-related conditions. Hearing issues affect 50 million Americans, and a large percentage of those affected are working-age adults. Noise exposure is increasing as people use headphones, smartphones, and gaming systems at younger ages. Hearing loss is the third most common chronic physical condition, tinnitus affects one in four adults, and even mild hearing loss increases the likelihood of slip-and-fall accidents because balance is controlled in the inner ear.

Hearing care is underserved in the healthcare system. Medical insurance typically covers infections, ear tubes, and wax removal, but not early tinnitus, hearing protection, prevention, pediatric audiology, or most balance issues. Many areas do not have accessible, in-network audiologists. Only a small percentage of employers offer any form of hearing benefit, and most of those are limited discount programs that still leave employees paying thousands of dollars.

Tuned solves this by providing a fully virtual, employer-paid hearing health solution. Employees begin by creating an online Tuned account and taking a hearing screening using any headphones they have at home. The test takes about 10 to 15 minutes and provides a baseline that should be checked annually. After the screening, employees schedule a virtual consultation with an audiologist of their choosing from a nationwide network of more than 250 licensed professionals, with wait times usually around three to five business days. Virtual consultations make it far easier and more comfortable for people—especially younger individuals—to discuss hearing concerns.

Following the consultation, the audiologist recommends a personalized solution. Tuned offers a wide range of options, from over-the-counter devices for mild to moderate issues to AirPod Pro 2 sound enhancement programming, tinnitus-management apps, hearing protection products such as Loop earplugs and over-ear devices, and top-tier prescription hearing aids. All recommended devices are rechargeable, sent directly to the member’s home, and covered at 100 percent with no out-of-pocket cost.

The Tuned program costs $1.20 per employee per month, which includes an annual hearing screening, three virtual consultations, and complete coverage of recommended devices. Groups in certain industries with 10 to 100 employees qualify for Colonial Life to fully fund the first year. Larger groups may also qualify with underwriting approval. Outside of the fully funded program, Tuned can be added to any group with at least one Colonial Life product in place. Some employers are even packaging the cost into their dental and vision premiums to make it employee-paid while maintaining full participation.

Dina added that even small items—like high-quality hearing protection—provide more value than the cost of the program. The uniqueness and exclusivity of the Tuned partnership has already helped brokers open new accounts and revisit groups where they previously could not gain traction.

The session concluded with a question confirming that three Colonial Life products are required only for groups participating in the fully funded program. Otherwise, the benefit can still be offered at the standard $1.20 rate with just one Colonial Life line of coverage. Elise closed by thanking everyone for attending and encouraging brokers to reach out to her or her team with groups they’d like to explore.