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Contact: Judi Maha aney (212) 578-7977 jmahaney@ @metlife.com MET TLIFE STU UDY FINDS S SIX OUT OF TEN EM MPLOYEE ES ARE CO ONCERNED D ABO OUT COVER RING OUT T-OF-POCK KET MEDIC CAL COST TS ~ 74% of Emplo oyees Who Are A Very Worried W abo out Meeting Out-of-Poc cket Medica al Expenses E Do ont Have A Three-Month Salary Savings Cu ushion to Ta ap Into. ~ NEW YO ORK, July 23, 2013 Fi indings from m MetLifes 1 11th Annual Study of Em mployee Bene efits Trends, reveal r that co oncerns abou ut addressing g healthcare e costs are im mpacting bot th employers s and employee es. Sixty-one e percent of employees are a worried a about having g enough mo oney to meet outof-pocket medical co osts that are not n covered by health in nsurance and d employers a are facing tig ghter benefits budgets, b wit th half (50%) ) of surveyed d employers s stating that t cost-sharing g with employee es is an impo ortant benefi fits strategy. These conce erns are crea ating a delica ate balancing g act for emplo oyershow to meet emp ployees pro otection need ds while keep ping benefit ts costs down n and maintaining loyalty. Employe ers can help employees e address a these e rising costs s by making supplement tary health benefits available a thr rough the wo orkplace. Som me of these voluntary be enefits, such h as accident t and critical il llness insuran nce, can help p employees s cope with u unplanned m medical costs s. These employee e-paid benef fits allow wo orkers to fill the gaps bet tween their h health insura ance coverag ge and out-o of-pocket ex xpenses witho out having employers e ad dd to their be enefits budg gets. As they y continue to o recover fro om the recess sion, employ yees are look king to empl loyers to pro ovide a stronge er and wider safety net, said Michae el Fradkin, s senior vice president, Vo oluntary & Worksite e Benefits at MetLife. In n fact, accor rding to the M MetLife Study, 58 % of f employees w who are very concerned th hat their emp ployer will no n longer off fer medical i insurance str rongly agree e that voluntary y supplemen ntal benefits are importan nt for manag ging their health care cos sts. ees Facing Financial F St tress Employe In additio on to coverin ng out-of-po ocket medica al costs such as co-pays, premiums a and deductib bles, the Study y also found other areas of financial stress for em mployees: rcent of employees repor rt they worry y about meet ting their mo onthly living g Fifty-five per ex xpenses and d financial ob bligations;

Fifty-eight percent of employees are concerned about having enough money to make ends meet; Fifty-three percent describe themselves as living paycheck to paycheck.

Addressing Loyalty Concerns However, while the number of companies stating that a voluntary benefits strategy is important has grown from 32% in 2010 to 58% in 2012, employers may be concerned about the effect of benefits cost-sharing on employee loyalty. According to the MetLife study, less than half (47%) of employee respondents report feeling very loyal to their company and a third (34%) of employees strongly agree with the statement, Having to pay a larger share of my benefits premium costs would make me feel less loyal to my employer. But this does not mean that employers should shy away from voluntary benefits. A strategic use of voluntary benefit offerings can actually be a loyalty booster and a smart solution when walking this loyalty and budget tightrope, added Fradkin. Smart employers count on the importance of benefits for their employees and build on the fact that employees place even greater value on having benefits that meet their individual needs. According to the study, 77% of workers say that they value a variety of benefits to choose from as well as more personalized options. This gives employers an opportunity to strategically and cost-effectively expand their benefits portfolio by adding voluntary health benefits without concern about a negative impact on loyalty. Sixty-one percent of employees report that having a choice of benefits that lets them customize a benefits program to meet their needs would increase their loyalty to their employer. Taking Action Employers can receive actionable steps on the strategic use of voluntary benefit offerings and walking the loyalty/budget tightrope at BenefitTrends.MetLife.com. Additional insights from MetLifes 11th Annual Study of Employee Benefits Trends will be added to the website throughout the year, and visitors to the website can sign-up to receive automatic updates as new data is posted. Methodology MetLifes 11th Annual Study of Employee Benefits Trends was conducted during October 2012 and consisted of two distinct studies fielded by GfK Custom Research North America. The employer survey comprised 1,503 interviews with benefits decision-makers at companies with staff sizes of at least two employees. The employee sample comprised 1,422 interviews with fulltime employees age 21 and over, at companies with a minimum of two employees.

About GfK GfK is one of the worlds largest research companies, with more than 11,500 experts working to discover new insights into the way people live, think and shop, in over 100 markets, every day. GfK is constantly innovating and using the latest technologies and the smartest methodologies to give its clients the clearest understanding of the most important people in the world: their

customers. To find out more, visit www.gfk.com/us or follow GfK on Twitter: www.twitter.com/gfk_en. About MetLife Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MetLife) is a subsidiary of MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET), a leading global provider of insurance, annuities and employee benefit programs, serving 90 million customers in over 50 countries. Through its subsidiaries and affiliates, MetLife holds leading market positions in the United States, Japan, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Europe and the Middle East. For more information, visit www.metlife.com. # # #