ABC's 1973 president, Mike Callas, reflected on the beginnings of the program in ABC's monthly publication, The Contractor. He said, "The founders of ABC, knowing that the foremost reason for poor company morale was the lack of an effective benefits program, decided at an early date that they would provide for their new trade association members well-funded, association-sponsored benefit programs."

In response to member interest, just six years after the founding of ABC, association records indicate that an insurance committee was set up. They investigated the options available to ABC with regard to offering a group insurance program. Research led them to choose Connecticut General Life Insurance Company and, in February 1957, the ABC Insurance Trust was created. Five ABC members served as the founding Trustees for the program.

The July 26, 1957 issue of The Fortnighter, a biweekly ABC newsletter, states , "Over 40 firms are enjoying the benefits of ABC'S' mass purchasing power under our group insurance plan. Help keep your employees happy and satisfied and purchase personal insurance at bargain rates at the same time by participating."

Over the next 29 years the program not only grew with the association, it also helped the association grow by offering a valuable member recruiting and retention tool. Steadily and consistently, the program reached significant milestones: the first 100 firms, then 1,000: the first $1,000,000 in premiums, then $10,000,000. It also provided new group insurance products to meet the demand by member firms, while making numerous plan changes to respond to an emerging health industry field.

By 1986, the ABC Insurance was CIGNA's (formerly Connecticut General) largest association plan. The program seemed to be almost invincible, even weathering some of the storms associated with various rate increases. And then the program received a double blow. A very weak economy led to a major recession in the construction industry. No matter how hard they tried, many ABC members were forced to either downsize or go out of business. At the same time, skyrocketing healthcare costs that affected the nation as a whole also hit firms participating in the ABC Insurance Trust program.

The Trustees and insurance staff at ABC were eager to respond to the changing climate, but CIGNA seemed to be caught up in some of the former ways of doing things. The Trustees initiated a search for a carrier that would help them be more proactive. In 1991, John Hancock Life Insurance Company was selected as the new primary underwriter for the program. The result was an even leaner, better managed group insurance program.

The Trust emerged to offer a variety of plan designs and employee benefit services, including COBRA and Dollar Bank® administration. Six years of managed growth helped restore the program to a strong business base once again.

By 1997, John Hancock sells its entire group life and health insurance business to UniCare Insurance, a subsidiary of WellPoint Health Networks. UniCare begins a three year process of integrating the health insurance business and ultimately exits the association insurance business.

The Insurance Trustees and insurance staff responding to the changing environment position ABC Insurance with added flexibility through a market based approach to health insurance in 2000. At the same time, the trustees select Pacific Life and Annuity as the carrier for Life, Disability, Dental and Vision coverage all under the brand of ABC Merit Choice®.

The ABC Merit Choice® brand continues to expand through additional health and specialty carriers to provide members with personal service combined with national coverage. Options available to members through ABC Merit Choice® grow through 2004 as the insurance industry begins another cycle of consolidation.

In 2005 Pacific Life and Annuity sells its group insurance business to the PacifiCare a California based HMO provider. Trustees initiate a search for a replacement carrier and ultimately select Metropolitan Life of New York and Spectera, a United HealthCare company for vision coverage. In addition to providing Life, AD&D and Income Replacement coverage, Metropolitan Life provides an expansive PPO dental network incorporating 77,000 dentists nationally with increased benefits at reduced cost.

2007 celebrates 50 years of service to ABC members! With the combined rating of ABC members under the master policy approach of ABC Insurance Trust, dental and vision rates are constant for three consecutive years. There has been no increase in cost for members since 2004 due to combined purchasing power.