Because these benefits are usually "Expereince Rated", that is to say high claims beget high premiums, and low claims beget low premiums, price is really determined by the claims, not the insurance company.
If I compared two identical groups, but one claimed $10,000 a year, and the other claims $20,000 per year, there would be a direct correlation in the premium they pay. Moving the high claiming group to a different carrier isnt going to reduce their premium to $10,000. Maybe you can save a bit on Admin expenses (refer to last weeks post comparing Manulife and Wawanesa) or maybe the carrier is willing to take a loss in the first year to earn the business, but in the long run your premiums are going to be based on your claims.
Sure there is some pooling going on, and one carriers pool might be better than the next, but over time this pooling drops away, and we are never given info regarding the pool. Is the group in the fancy French springwater pool with great claims? or in stinky sewage pool?
When it comes down to it, if you are happy with your carrier and they are doing a good job you should consider staying with them. That is of course assuming "good job" encompasses things like fair renewals and efficient TLRs.
At the end of the day, if you take away the marketing dollars, the new business discounts, and the other fluff that clouds the way, two identical groups with identical claims but different carriers should see the exact same rates.
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