| BenefitsLink Welfare Plans Newsletter |   |
July 22, 2003 - 8,417 subscribers
Today's sponsor: FreeERISA.com
(Click on company name or banner to learn more.)
Instant access to millions of benefit filings with FreeERISA.com FreeERISA.com provides instant access to millions of employee benefit filings from around the country, as well as numerous articles and databases specifically geared towards people in the pension and welfare markets. FreeERISA.com also provides on-demand documents retrieval at a variety of government agencies. Get the information you need - fast!
(Please visit our sponsors. We try to make sure their products and services will be of interest to you. Thanks! --Editor)
Bill to Ease Imports of Less Expensive Drugs Gains in House
Excerpt: "A bill that would make it easier for Americans to import inexpensive prescription medicines from Canada and Europe is gathering support among some Republicans in the House of Representatives, prompting a furious effort by the pharmaceutical industry to defeat the legislation when it comes up for a vote later this week." (New York Times; one-time registration required)
Editorial, Opinion Piece Examine Prescription Drug Reimportation Debate
Excerpt: "A Wall Street Journal editorial and a Washington Times opinion piece on July 21 examine the congressional debate over a proposal that would allow U.S. residents to purchase U.S.-made drugs from foreign distributors. Summaries of the pieces appear below." (KaiserNetwork.org)
Senators Move to Safeguard Federal Government Retirees' Drug Benefits
Excerpt: "A push is starting in the Senate to ensure that federal retirees keep their prescription drug benefits in the event the Medicare program adds drug coverage." (Washington Post via International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans)
New Highmark Plans Offer Consumers More Control Over Their Insurance, But At a Cost
Excerpt: "[Daniel Holtz, senior vice president of regional markets for Highmark Inc.] said he expects to see more programs that provide catastrophic-type coverage rather than comprehensive-type coverage. In addition, he predicts that consumers will begin to see more programs that have 'pay as you use it' features, with higher deductibles and co-insurance ... 'There's a return to consumerism,' said Mr. Holtz, where consumers have 'more skin in the game.'" (Pittsburgh Business Times via bizjournals.com; one-time registration required)
Obesity and Health Insurance Coverage: Questions Abound
Excerpt: "If you're way overweight, does your health insurer have a responsibility to make you thinner? How about your employer, if he's footing your health-coverage bill? These may be the heaviest questions being asked at a time when everyone is trying to shrink health costs. The issue is whether surgeons should shrink stomachs with bands or do bypasses to reduce the intestines." (The Miami Herald)
Maryland Health Care Commission To Reconsider Minimum Health Benefits
Excerpt: "Small businesses in Maryland might have to reduce employee health benefits to comply with a new state regulation, according to an annual report prepared by Mercer Consulting for the Maryland Health Care Commission, the Baltimore Sun reports." (KaiserNetwork.org)
Opinion: the Best Course of Treatment for Spiraling Malpractice Premiums
Excerpt: "The demise of the bill capping damages is not necessarily a setback for the cause of legal reform. Instead, it is an opportunity to ... address the underlying flaws of a legal system that is out of control.... A reliable system of medical justice could take many forms, but because the critical issue in virtually all cases is whether the doctor complied with appropriate standards of care, the key element must be expert judges ruling on standards of care." (Philip Howard in the New York Times; one-time registration required)
Opinion: The Costs and Consequences of Being Uninsured (PDF)
Excerpt: "[E]mployers incur costs as well-- when their employees miss work, leave their job, or retire early for health reasons.... The instability of the health insurance system-- in which about half of the 41 million uninsured lose their coverage in a given year-- generates administrative costs as well." (The Commonwealth Fund)
U. Illinois Trustees Approve Health Benefits for Same-Sex Partners But Not Other Domestic Partners
Excerpt: "The University of Illinois Board of Trustees approved a health and dental insurance reimbursement program for the same-sex domestic partners of all faculty and staff ... becoming the first public university in the state to take such a measure ... Several trustees also said the benefits were needed for same-sex couples because they are unable to marry in Illinois, while heterosexual couples can legally wed and be covered under their spouse's insurance plans." (U-Wire via International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans)
Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General
Spring 2003 Issue of NBER Bulletin on Aging and Health (PDF)
4 pages. Articles include "The Effect of New Drugs on Longevity," "Health Insurance Subsidies, Coverage, and Costs" and "Marriage Penalties in Social Security Problems." (National Bureau of Economic Research)
Overview: IRS Proposes New Regs for ISOs and Employee Stock Purchase Plans (PDF)
Excerpt: "The new rules (i) specify that ISOs may only be granted from a plan that states the maximum number of shares that may be granted for all stock-based awards under the plan, (ii) modify the definition of corporate transaction and specify that ISOs assumed in a corporate transaction must be granted by the buyer from a plan that satisfies the ISO requirements ..." (Frederic W. Cook & Co., Inc.)
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
DC Plan Service Consultant Administrator
for Career Consulting Services, Inc.
in IN
Newly Posted Conferences
(Post Yours!)
Introduction to Qualified Plans One-Day Seminar
in MO
August 22, 2003
Kansas City Chapter of ISCEBS
Indiana Health Care Benefits Forum
in IN
August 19, 2003
Central Indiana Chapter of ISCEBS (International Society of Certified Employee Benefit Specialists)
Spring and Summer 2003 bring New Guidance for Benefit Plans
in ALL STATES
July 29, 2003
Winston & Strawn
Newly Posted Press Releases
(Post Yours!)
New Labor Department Web Site Can Help Millions Find Valuable Information On Health Benefits
(U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration)
Ceridian Adds State Street Research To Its Tier One List Of Mutual Funds
(Ceridian)
Wright & Co. Aligns with ARAG Group
(ARAG Group)
Handy Links:
- View Today's Active Message Threads
- Search BenefitsLink
- Using the Web for Employee Benefits Research
- Employee Benefits Library
Copyright 2003 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.
Published by:
BenefitsLink.com, Inc.
https://benefitslink.com/about.html
1298 Minnesota Avenue, Suite H
Winter Park FL 32789
(407) 644-4146
Fax: (407) 644-2151
Editor and Publisher: David Rhett Baker, J.D.
Housekeeping: