| BenefitsLink Welfare Plans Newsletter |   |
April 29, 2003 - 8,177 subscribers
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Saving State Law Bad-Faith Claims from ERISA Preemption
Excerpt: "I suggest that the Moran dicta is incorrect and that it conflicts with the Court's 1983 decision in Franchise Tax Board v. Construction Laborers Vacation Trust ... Recognizing the Court's continued movement to limit the scope of ERISA preemption of state law in non-pension-plan cases, the extent of the statute's possible preemption of state law bad-faith and unfair-settlement-practices claims remains ripe for review ..." (Donald T. Bogan in TRIAL, by the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, via HARP.org)
The Case Against Sick Days
Excerpt: "Going into work sick rather than staying home has reached epidemic proportions (pun intended). More often than not, employees who are sick would rather risk annoying their coworkers (and even contaminating them) than have their boss question their motives for staying home." (Workforce.com)
Federal Personnel Agency Plans Closer Look at Prescription Drug Contracts for 2004
Excerpt: "In an effort to hold down prescription drug costs for federal employees and retirees, the Office of Personnel Management plans to expand its oversight of contracts between health insurance companies and the firms that manage their pharmacy benefits." (Washington Post)
Two Democratic Contenders Clash on Universal Health Coverage
Excerpt: "Senator Bob Graham [on Sunday, April 27, 2003] criticized Representative Richard A. Gephardt's call for universal health care coverage, saying Democrats should not repeat President Bill Clinton's failed attempt to push through a huge revamping of the health care system." (New York Times; one-time registration required)
Opinion: Gephardt Healthcare Proposal is Lose-Lose-Lose
Excerpt: "The universal health coverage plan announced this week by Democratic presidential hopeful Dick Gephardt would provide coverage to an additional 30 million Americans at an initial cost of about $210 billion a year. That's a gold-plated price tag of $7,000 per person. And it's only the beginning of the high cost of the plan." (The Galen Institute)
Opinion: Insuring the Uninsured through Association Health Plans (PDF)
Excerpt: "[A]bout half of the people with private health insurance obtain it from an employer that is self-insured and is exempt from state regulation.... These exempt plans fall under regulations enforced by the Department of Labor. As a result, a large company with employees in every state can rely on uniform, nationwide rules instead of confronting the disparate regulations of 50 separate states. Moreover, as a practical matter, only large companies can self-insure." (National Center for Policy Analysis)
Opinion: Put Employer-Based Health Insurance Out of Work
Excerpt: "The root of the problem is that no one has found a way to pay for medical care in a fair and equitable manner, given our diverse and demanding population.... By tying health care benefits to employment, we have developed a fractionated delivery system which inadvertently -- but by design -- moves people in and out of coverage. It is the 800-pound gorilla in the room ..." (SFGate.com)
Opinion: Healthcare Is a Revolution Looking for a Leader and a Way
Excerpt: "A fresco of today's crisis would show the main characters-- patients, nurses, doctors, hospitals, employers, government-- each so absorbed in their own narrow view of their crisis that they cannot step back to see the common condition." (SFGate.com)
HMO Enrollment Continues to Decrease in 2001-2002
Excerpt: "After peaking in 1998 and 1999, enrollment in HMOs continues to decrease in many states." (Allan Baumgarten)
Opinion: Overtime Pay System Gets an Overdue Federal Upgrade
Excerpt: "The comp-time bill in Congress, due for a vote in the House as early as May, would allow employers to give overtime workers a choice between extra comp time and extra pay. About 3 out of 4 workers surveyed by the Employment Policy Foundation say they'd like this flexibility." (Christian Science Monitor via International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans)
Opinion: Sacramento Social Engineers At It Again
Excerpt: "AB 17 would prohibit the state from contracting with small businesses, colleges, hospitals, day-care centers, social service agencies and other entities that currently provide marriage benefits to their employees unless they also provide same-sex benefits.... In tight budget years, it's all too common for liberal legislators to propose bills that force private citizens and businesses to pick up the cost of advancing their social agenda." (The Orange County [Calif.] Register)
Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General
Reading a CEO's Paycheck
Excerpt: "Spring is in the air, and that means reporters are sifting through corporate America's annual reports. They're finding-- you guessed it-- fat pay packages for chief executives in 2002, despite dismal earnings and massive layoffs at many companies. [But] CEO pay declined 33 percent in 2002, to $7.4 million on average." (BusinessWeek Online via MSNBC.com)
Daily Benefits News from Canada Available Online from Benefits and Pensions Monitor
From Toronto. (Benefits and Pensions Monitor)
Eli Lilly Shareholders Reject Stock Option Expensing Proposal
Excerpt: "The proposal at Lilly's meeting was presented by the Massachusetts Carpenters Pension & Annuity Funds, a Lilly investor group." (AP via SFGate.com)
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
Lead - Benefit Administrator
for Del Monte Foods
in CA
Compliance Consultant, Defined Contribution Services
for Franklin Templeton Investments
in CA
Senior Financial Analyst
for The Nolan Financial Group
in DC, MD
Senior Human Resources Analyst
for County of Riverside
in CA
Benefits Administrator
for Vinings Mellon
in GA
Paralegal / Pension Administrator
for Iris Bashi Associates, LLC
in NJ
Newly Posted Press Releases
(Post Yours!)
Keenan & Associates Launches Keenan NOW Online News and Information Service
(Keenan & Associates)
FPR Campaign Launched In April BPM
(Benefits and Pensions Monitor)
The 412iCompany launches First Boot Camp on 412i Plans
(The 412icompany)
Handy Links:
- View Today's Active Message Threads
- Search BenefitsLink
- Using the Web for Employee Benefits Research
- Employee Benefits Library
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