BenefitPoint 4.0 includes a significant amount of new and enhanced functionality for insurance carriers and brokers/consultants. The enhancements, which have been rolled-out through web-based training and eLearning tools, focus on eProcurement and connectivity that benefits professionals need to process requests for proposal (RFP) and renewals online. This significantly reduces paperwork, improves turnaround times, and enhances customer service.

"We are extremely impressed by the Release 4.0 functionality and the support and training BenefitPoint provides," said Richard Elliott, Managing Director and head of benefits eCommerce at Marsh, Inc. "The new functionality provides great standardization and efficiency tools for both carriers and brokers. Ultimately, by streamlining the exchange of data for renewals and requests for proposal, the BenefitPoint platform allows us and our carrier partners to focus on providing more strategic advice and enhanced service offerings to our clients."

"BenefitPoint 4.0 delivers advanced connectivity and tools to work more efficiently with our brokerage and consulting firm partners," said Bill Wilson, regional sales manager at Fortis Benefits Insurance Company.

The BenefitPoint technology provides a web-based platform that connects all industry participants involved in the employee benefits product lifecycle. It is the first eCommerce platform to enable communications and transactions across the entire distribution channel for group insurance and financial products. Insurance carriers and the distribution channel are using the system in order to share data industry-wide, manage daily business processes, conduct end-to-end eProcurement, and communicate information on employee benefits products and services to their clients.

"With the release of 4.0, the BenefitPoint solution is clearly the most comprehensive and widely used application available to the industry today," said Mark A. Pulido, chairman and chief executive officer of BenefitPoint, Inc. "BenefitPoint has been adopted by the nation's leading benefits professionals and has become the industry platform."

About BenefitPoint, Inc.
BenefitPoint, Inc. delivers the leading Internet-based employee benefits infrastructure for the distribution and management of group insurance and financial products. As the central nervous system for the employee benefits industry, BenefitPoint provides a complete set of B2B services enabling benefits professionals to manage the entire group health insurance and benefits lifecycle. Building on the existing industry relationships among carriers, brokers, employers and employees, the BenefitPoint solution combines the efficiency of the Internet with the established distribution model of the insurance industry to eliminate paper (saving everyone time and money), to make it possible to deliver more products and services (giving everyone more choices), and to make better information available (enabling everyone to make better decisions).

Releasing its first solution in February 2000, BenefitPoint has already received widespread industry adoption from regional and national insurance carriers as well as from more than 130 of the leading U.S.-based brokerage and consulting firms. The company, headquartered in San Francisco, CA, can be reached at 415.277.5600 or at www.benefitpoint.com. BenefitPoint, Inc. is privately held.