An online, clickable version of this newsletter is available at: http://benefitslink.com/2007/2007_11_28_welfare.html =========================================================== BenefitsLink Health & Welfare Plans Newsletter (Plain Text Format) November 28, 2007 Here are the Web's best new links about compliance and cost aspects of plan operation, design and policy. =========================================================== TODAY'S SPONSOR: EmployeeBenefitsJobs.com Where the best benefits employers find the best candidates (Advert.) http://benefitslink.com/modperl/a_d_top.cgi?a_d=2007_11_28_welfare (Click on the above address or copy and paste it into your web browser.) Fill your employee benefits job openings fast by advertising on BenefitsLink. What better place to find qualified candidates? Your help wanted ad will be listed in the BenefitsLink Newsletter, will be seen by thousands of candidates who view our listings online, and will be emailed to over 2,300 job-seekers. Click to see how easy it is to place an ad! ----------------------------------------------------------- (a) NEW GUIDANCE DOCUMENTS ---------------------------------------------------------- Rev. Proc. 2007-70: Optional Business Mileage Rate for 2008 is 50.5 Cents (PDF) http://benefitslink.com/IRS/revproc2007-70.pdf 31 pages. Excerpt: "The standard mileage rate for transportation expenses is 50.5 cents per mile for all miles of use for business purposes. . . . This revenue procedure is effective for (1) deductible transportation expenses paid or incurred on or after January 1, 2008, and (2) mileage allowances or reimbursements paid to an employee or to a charitable volunteer (a) on or after January 1, 2008, and (b) with respect to transportation expenses paid or incurred by the employee or charitable volunteer on or after January 1, 2008." (Internal Revenue Service) ----------------------------------------------------------- (b) NEWS ---------------------------------------------------------- CMS Outlines Value-Based Healthcare Purchasing Program http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/view_content.cfm?content_id=201274 Excerpt: "CMS this week outlined its long-awaited value-based purchasing program (VBP) proposal that would reduce diagnostic-related group (DRG) payments for Medicare patients, but give hospitals a chance to earn the money back through stellar performance or dramatic improvement. . . . Karen Linscott, acting CEO of The Leapfrog Group, said in a statement. 'Now that CMS' plan for value-based purchasing has been made public, the public and private sector can leverage their combined purchasing power to cure the toxic payment system by implementing payment policies that are based on higher quality rather than volume.'" (HealthLeaders Media) ---------------------------------------------------------- More Health Insurers Adopt Doctor Ranking Model http://www.workforce.com/section/00/article/25/23/62.html Excerpt: "More health insurers have adopted New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's doctor ranking model, thereby agreeing to fully disclose to consumers, physicians and plan sponsors the cost and quality metrics they use to rank doctors." (Workforce Management) ---------------------------------------------------------- 'Health Plan' Promoter Sentenced to Four Years for Embezzling Premiums Paid by Small Businesses http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071128/BUSINESS/711280416/1003/BUSINESS Excerpt: "According to the U.S. Department of Justice, his business offered health-care coverage through its TRG Health Plan. Enrollees in the plan paid premiums to TRG Marketing. [William P. Crouse] embezzled funds from the premiums, and used $546,732 of it to buy a private residence. He no longer owns the home." (Indy Star) ----------------------------------------------------------- (c) SUMMARIES OF GUIDANCE; FILED COMMENTS ----------------------------------------------------------- (None today.) ----------------------------------------------------------- (d) TRENDS, SURVEYS, RESEARCH ---------------------------------------------------------- Telecommuting Prized by Employees More than Stock Options or On-Site Child Care, Survey Shows http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/28/AR2007112800062.html Excerpt: "A survey released Tuesday by Citrix Online found that 23 percent of American workers regularly do their jobs from someplace besides the office, and that 62 percent of respondents who cannot work off-site would like to. The survey also found that workers prized the ability to telecommute more highly than stock options or on-site child care." (Washington Post; free registration required) ---------------------------------------------------------- Studies Say Lack of Health Insurance Delays Retirement http://hr.cch.com/news/pension/112807.asp Excerpt: "The researchers' retirement model predicts that workers whose health insurance is tied to their job leave the labor force about 0.41 years later than workers with employer-provided retiree medical coverage." (CCH Pension) ----------------------------------------------------------- (e) POLICY, OPINION, ADVOCACY ----------------------------------------------------------- Opinion: What Do Americans Want -- or Think They Want -- as Healthcare Reform? http://www.tcf.org/list.asp?type=NC&pubid=1738 Excerpt: "[American voters'] responses bristle with contradictions and discrepancies that I think the reform-minded presidential candidates will have to consider when deciding how to approach health care reform." (The Century Foundation) ---------------------------------------------------------- Updated: Outline of 2008 Presidential Candidates' Health Care Reform Proposals (PDF) http://www.cahi.org/cahi_contents/resources/pdf/2008CandidatesHealthCareReform.pdf Updated as of November 27. (Council for Affordable Health Insurance) ========================================================== Links To Items on Executive Comp, Benefits In General ---------------------------------------------------------- Practical Tips for Compliance with Section 409A http://www.perkinscoie.com/news/pubs_detail.aspx?publication=1513&op=updates Excerpt: "[E]mployers should implement procedures to review drafts of all new benefit plans and agreements, or amendments to existing plans or agreements, to verify Section 409A compliance before adopting, or amending, them. Employers and other service recipients should also consider offering special training and other education for those personnel responsible for negotiating compensatory arrangements to ensure a basic understanding of all applicable documentation and operational requirements." (Perkins Coie) ---------------------------------------------------------- Opinion: The Shame of the NFL Pension Dispute http://www.bleacherreport.com/articles/4199--NFL_Pension_Dispute_The_Shame_of_Gene_Upshaw-281107 Excerpt: "Gene Upshaw, the Hall-of-Fame offensive tackle and current head of the NFL Players Association, is under fire for his failure to assist former players in collecting on pension and health claims made to the union. . . . The crux of the problem is that voting by active players determines the amount of funding allocated to the pool for disability benefits." (Bleacher Report) ========================================================== Newly Posted Events 401(k) & Corporate Retirement Plan Seminar - Minimize Fiduciary Risk and Maximize Employee Benefit in Virginia on December 5, 2007 presented by AFS Financial Group http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=43200 Automatic Enrollment: QDIA, EACA, QACA Web Seminar Nationwide on December 3, 2007 presented by SunGard Relius http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=43201 DOL Online Seminar for Employers and Fiduciaries: Know Your Fiduciary Responsibilities (Registration Required) in Arizona on December 13, 2007 presented by U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=43203 Unequal Taxes on Equal Benefits: The Taxation of Domestic Partner Benefits in District of Columbia on December 3, 2007 presented by Center for American Progress http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=43202 Post yours! http://benefitslink.com/events/eventmaint.php ========================================================== Newly Posted Press Releases AARP Supports CMS' Move Toward Pay-for-Performance AARP http://benefitslink.com/pr/detail.php?id=41381 AARP Survey Reveals About Half of People 50-Plus Still Skipping Flu Shots AARP http://benefitslink.com/pr/detail.php?id=41382 U.S. Labor Department Settlement Resolves Lawsuit Over Payment For Administrative Services By New Jersey Union Health Plan U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) http://benefitslink.com/pr/detail.php?id=41374 IRS Announces 2008 Standard Mileage Rates; Rate for Business Miles Set at 50.5 Cents per Mile Internal Revenue Service (IRS) http://benefitslink.com/pr/detail.php?id=41377 Standard Register Selects Financial Engines to Provide Managed Accounts Financial Engines, Inc. http://benefitslink.com/pr/detail.php?id=41380 Stephens Funds Added to CPI Retirement Platform CPI Qualified Plan Consultants, Inc. http://benefitslink.com/pr/detail.php?id=41376 Buck Consultants Survey: Health Care Costs Projected to Increase at Double-Digit Levels Buck Consultants, an ACS Company http://benefitslink.com/pr/detail.php?id=41378 Legal Advantage, LLC Releases Latest Customer Service Web Portal to Further Solidify Position as Premier Provider of Legal Support and Patent Illustration Services Legal Advantage, LLC http://benefitslink.com/pr/detail.php?id=41375 The Wilshire Group Launches New BENeLERT™ Process to Automate Health Insurance Policy Renewals and Ensure Clients Receive the Best Rates Wilshire Group http://benefitslink.com/pr/detail.php?id=41379 Post yours! http://benefitslink.com/pr/maint.php ========================================================== Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings Labor Relations Sr. Manager for 1199 Benefit and Pension Funds in NY http://benefitslink.com/modperl/job.cgi?n=H52735 Human Resource Assistant Director for 1199 Benefit & Pension Funds in NY http://benefitslink.com/modperl/job.cgi?n=H53147 Director Third Party Administrator Business Development for MassMutual Financial Group in MA http://benefitslink.com/modperl/job.cgi?n=H53384 Sales Professional - Group Benefits for Standard Insurance Company in TX http://benefitslink.com/modperl/job.cgi?n=H53385 Post yours! http://EmployeeBenefitsJobs.com/jobs/post_help_wanted.html View all jobs http://EmployeeBenefitsJobs.com/ RSS feed http://EmployeeBenefitsJobs.com/rss/jobs.rss =========================================================== Search previous newsletters: http://benefitslink.com/search =========================================================== Subscribe to the BenefitsLink Retirement Plans Newsletter, Too Sign-up form is at: http://benefitslink.com/newsletter/ =========================================================== This newsletter is sent to you each workday except federal holidays. If you do not wish to receive this newsletter any longer, just click on this address (if it appears all on one line): https://benefitslink.com/cgi/s/s/s.pl?e=&l=12&r=1 If that address has been chopped into two lines by your email reader, it won't work, so use one of these easy ways to unsubscribe: 1. Visit this web page: http://benefitslink.com/newsletter/unsubscribe/ and enter the following email address into the two boxes: (That's the exact address under which you are subscribed.) Check the box that says BenefitsLink Health & Welfare Plans Newsletter in plain text format, and then click the "Unsubscribe" button. 2. Or send an email to hollyhorton@benefitslink.com asking her to unsubscribe from the BenefitsLink Health & Welfare Plans Newsletter (plain text format). 3. Or call Holly Horton at (407) 644-4146 and ask her to unsubscribe from the BenefitsLink Health & Welfare Plans Newsletter (plain text format). This email is published by: BenefitsLink.com, Inc. 1298 Minnesota Avenue, Suite H Winter Park FL 32789 (407) 644-4146 Fax: (407) 644-2151 Copyright 2007 BenefitsLink.com, Inc.; except that you can forward this email in full (including this boilerplate part) or otherwise reprint this email in full (including this boilerplate part) without obtaining our permission. Anyone can receive these emails; just have them sign up at this Web page: http://benefitslink.com/newsletter/ To view earlier issues: http://benefitslink.com/newsletters/ We're proud of our Privacy Policy: http://benefitslink.com/privacypolicy.html