NAIFA Members Grow Congressional Support for Life Insurance Awareness Month

September marked the fourth anniversary of Life Insurance Awareness Month and its support by many of the nation’s leading political figures. This year NAIFA members took to Capitol Hill and successfully garnered more than 100 House and Senate cosponsors for the Life Insurance Awareness Month Resolutions—more than in any previous year. On the heels of this effort, the resolutions easily passed in both chambers.

In addition to the Day on the Hill, NAIFA members from Illinois and Nebraska participated in a Capitol Hill briefing with the 2007 Life Insurance Awareness Month spokesperson Molly Shannon of Saturday Night Live fame. The Illinois and Nebraska delegations were there to show their support for two of the key sponsors of the House and Senate resolutions, Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) and Rep. Judy Biggert (R-IL).

NAIFA also once again successfully gained recognition of Life Insurance Awareness Month from the White House, state legislatures, governors and state regulators. In the states, 35 governors and the mayor of Washington, D.C., signed proclamations supporting LIAM. The National Conference of Insurance Legislators and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners issued similar proclamations. At the federal level, President George W. Bush sent a letter acknowledging the importance of the public awareness campaign.

The life insurance industry, for its part, conducted numerous sales and publicity programs during September. The Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education spent $2.5 million on consumer advertising and coordinated the industry-wide campaign, which included over 100 insurance companies and trade associations. A priority for the 2007 LIAM campaign was to reach women, whose role in financial decision-making is growing. Therefore, LIFE advertised in a number of leading women’s magazines and created online ads aimed at women. Additionally, for the 12th consecutive year, the September edition of Newsweek featured true stories that illustrate the important role insurance plays in the financial security of families and businesses.

Back to October 1, 2007, NAIFA Frontline