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April 24, 2003 - 8,138 subscribers
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Gephardt Proposes Near-Universal Healthcare
Excerpt: "Rep. Richard A. Gephardt (Mo.), in a bid to set the Democratic agenda for the 2004 presidential campaign, proposed today an ambitious plan to provide access to health insurance to all Americans, at an initial cost of about $210 billion a year, and said he would scrap all of President Bush's tax cuts to help pay for it." (Washington Post)
Summary of the Gephardt Health Care Plan
Campaign release. Excerpt: "The Gephardt Plan achieves the twin goals of universal health care coverage and significant immediate economic stimulus to our troubled economy. The plan uses proven, existing private and public structures to extend health insurance coverage to 97% of the uninsured." (DickGephardt2004.com)
When Employer is Administrator: How Many Days to Provide COBRA Qualifying Event Notice-- 14 or 44?
Excerpt: "Not for the first time and probably not for the last, a judge has been asked to answer this question: Does an employer have 14 or 44 days to provide a COBRA qualifying event notice, when the employer is also the plan administrator? We'll look at the recent case of Anderson v. Royal Crest Dairy and explain why the issue is not as cut and dried as you may think." (OnQue Technologies, Inc.)
Retirees Say Unisys Broke Healthcare Benefit Pledge
Excerpt: "Shivering in unseasonably cool weather, 20 Unisys Corp. retirees and their spouses demonstrated across the street from the company's Blue Bell headquarters yesterday, protesting once again the elimination of free or low-cost health coverage." (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
The Big Retirement Headache: Affordable Health Insurance
Excerpt: "For retirees, employers have been a critical source of benefits that are otherwise expensive and hard to get. But as surging medical costs squeeze already-pinched corporate budgets, that source is drying up. Canceling benefits for current retirees (as LTV did) remains rare, yet companies are increasingly trimming coverage for future retirees." (Money.CNN.com)
FDA Seeking To Make Two Allergy Drugs Available OTC
Excerpt: "The FDA is moving to make the prescription antihistamines Allegra and Zyrtec, manufactured by Aventis Pharmaceuticals and Pfizer, respectively, available without a prescription, against the wishes of the drug makers, USA Today reports." (KaiserNetwork.org)
Health Insurance Underwriting Cycle: Effect on Health Plan Premiums and Profitability (PDF)
44 pages. Excerpt: "Competition, legislation, regulation and difficulty predicting future costs are all contributors to the phenomenon called the underwriting cycle-- a repeating pattern of gains and losses within the insurance industry.... The Federation of American Hospitals and the American Hospital Association commissioned Milliman USA (Milliman) to prepare a report that would discuss this cycle and its impact on health insurance premiums from a national perspective." (Milliman USA via HospitalConnect.com)
Blue Shield Unveils Cost of California's Universal Coverage Proposal
Press release. Excerpt: "California's 6.6 million uninsured residents could receive essential healthcare coverage if the state's total private and public healthcare spending were increased by $7.8 billion, according to a new study released today by Blue Shield of California." (Blue Shield of California via NewsAlert.com)
AAHP Urges Candidates to Address Underlying Causes of Healthcare Cost Crisis
Press release. Excerpt: "AAHP President and CEO Karen Ignagni made the following statement today regarding the emerging presidential campaign debate on health care. In early February, AAHP launched a campaign in Iowa and New Hampshire to help ensure that the debate reflects the concerns and priorities of the voters." (American Association of Health Plans)
Overview: HIPAA Enforcement Rule Published (PDF)
2 pages. Excerpt: "HHS will issue additional installments of the Enforcement Rule to address the substantive requirements for determining whether the Privacy, Electronic Transactions, Security, and Identifier Rules have been violated and the appropriate CMP for such violations. Unlike the procedural provisions just published, the substantive provisions of the Enforcement Rule will be subject to the 'notice and comment' rulemaking process ..." (Michael Best & Friedrich LLP)
Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General
Knight Ridder Company Fends Off Stock Option Expensing Proposal, Just Barely
Excerpt: "The San Jose, Calif.-based company said holders of 34.1 million shares followed its advice and voted against the advisory measure. Another 33.4 million shares supported the resolution. Most shareholder proposals opposed by [management] are trounced by wide margins." (AP via Yahoo! News)
Intel Chief Raises Stakes In Options Battle
Excerpt: "Intel Chief Executive Craig Barrett suggests CEOs may refuse to certify financial results if stock option expensing is forced upon them, opening a new front in the bitter battle between accounting rule makers and the tech industry on the issue." (Reuters via News.com)
Opinion: Airline Execs Fly High as Workers Nosedive
Excerpt: "Baggage handlers lose a few bucks for laundering their uniforms while the big shots squirrel away millions to save their own pensions if the company goes belly up." (Marie Cocco in Newsday.com)
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
Relationship Manager
for Comerica
in MI
Newly Posted Conferences
(Post Yours!)
Education Exchange Forum
in MA
May 15, 2003
Sentinel Benefits
MHM Section 125 Cafeteria Plan Administrators Training Workshop
in CA
May 7, 2003
MHM Resources, Inc.
MHM Section 125 Cafeteria Plan Administrators Training Workshop
in MO
July 16, 2003
MHM Resources, Inc.
MHM Section 125 Cafeteria Plan Administrators Training Workshop
in IL
September 18, 2003
MHM Resources, Inc.
MHM Section 125 Cafeteria Plan Administrators Training Workshop
in MO
November 5, 2003
MHM Resources, Inc.
National Quality Initiatives and the Northeast Ohio Health Care Market
in OH
May 15, 2003
WEB (Worldwide Employee Benefits Network) - Cleveland Chapter
Disease Management Forecasts: Trends Innovations & Successful Programs
in ALL STATES
April 30, 2003
Healthcare Intelligence Network
Pursuing Third-Party Recoveries Post-"Knudson" - 2003 Update on Subrogation and Reimbursement
in ALL STATES
May 14, 2003
Thompson Publishing Group
Newly Posted Press Releases
(Post Yours!)
Alexander Hamilton Institute Releases New Free Report -- "Watch Out For Retaliation Claims"
(Alexander Hamilton Institute)
Firm Offers Advice to 401(k) Investors
(Hewlett Davidson & Associates, LLC)
Three New Regional Sales Managers Join GE Retirement Solutions
(GE Financial Employer Services Group)
Anticipating Customer Requirements Takes GE Financial's Service to New Levels For Small-to-Mid-Sized Employers
(GE Financial Employer Services Group)
GE Financial Employer Services Group Launches New Web Site for Plan Administration
(GE Financial Employer Services Group)
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