LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill.--(May 6, 2010)--Hewitt Associates, a global human resources consulting and outsourcing company, today announced it has acquired HRAdvance Inc., a leading benefits dependent audit services company. HRAdvance's solution further strengthens Hewitt's existing dependent eligibility offer.

Hewitt's research shows that the amount employers pay in health care costs per participant¹ has almost doubled in a decade-from $3,531 in 2001 to a projected $7,035 in 2010. With this trend expected to continue over the next 10 years, more companies are looking for ways to reduce their overall health care costs. According to data from HRAdvance's client base and Hewitt's own experience, employers have saved 4 to 8 percent of their annual health care costs by conducting eligibility audits and removing ineligible dependents.

HRAdvance has a suite of products tailored for companies looking for ways to reduce their health care costs. Plan-Smart^™ offers employers a comprehensive audit of their covered dependents to identify potential cost savings from identifying ineligible dependents. Plan-Guard^™ is an ongoing solution that helps companies ensure dependent eligibility at the time of enrollment.

HRAdvance will become part of Hewitt's Point Solutions business in Benefits Outsourcing, which already provides a range of services designed to improve workers' lives and solve productivity, compliance and attraction/retention problems.

"With virtually all of HRAdvance's clients willing to serve as references, it's clear the company delivers meaningful, high-quality results for employers," said Russ Fradin, Hewitt's chairman and chief executive officer. "HRAdvance's scalable, proprietary platform and its experienced team bring important enhancements to Hewitt's existing dependent audit capabilities. We're optimistic about the future growth opportunities this acquisition will bring for our Point Solutions business."

"We've built a strong reputation in the industry, and we're well-known for our ability to deliver real cost savings for our clients," said Craig Firestone, founder and president of HRAdvance. "Joining Hewitt gives HRAdvance the opportunity to significantly expand its reach through Hewitt's already-strong market position in HR consulting and outsourcing."

About HRAdvance

HR Advance was founded in 2004 with a single mission: to provide HR and benefits professionals with best-practice hosted solutions that can be deployed without capital expenditure or IT dependency. Its guiding principle is that employees are the most valuable assets of every organization.

The company's core competencies are its Plan-Smart™ and Plan-Guard™ dependent eligibility audit solutions. Its management competencies and healthcare focus reflect more than 150 years of combined experience in developing automated human resource, benefits, administrative and financial services for government, public and private organizations. Visit www.plan-smart.com to learn more.

About Hewitt Associates

Hewitt Associates (NYSE: HEW) provides leading organizations around the world with expert human resources consulting and outsourcing solutions to help them anticipate and solve their most complex benefits, talent, and related financial challenges. Hewitt works with companies to design, implement, communicate, and administer a wide range of human resources, retirement, investment management, health care, compensation, and talent management strategies. With a history of exceptional client service since 1940, Hewitt has offices in more than 30 countries and employs approximately 23,000 associates who are helping make the world a better place to work. For more information, please visit www.hewitt.com.

¹ Hewitt's health care cost data is derived from the Hewitt Health Value Initiative, a cost and performance analysis database of more than 1,700 health plans throughout the U.S., including 325 major employers representing more than 13 million health plan participants.

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