Welfare Plans Edition
This issue is free, thanks to today's sponsor Compensation Resource Group
May 22, 2000
Net Perk: Errand Portals -- Companies Provide Tools for Personal Business
Excerpt: "Increasingly popular HR portals are letting employees manage personal business on company time-and giving employers a powerful Web tool for improving services and retaining people." (Internet Week)
HHS Gives Timeline for HIPAA Regulations
Excerpt: "The Department of Health and Human Services expects to publish five final rules and two proposed rules for health data standards by the end of the year. These HIPAA-required rules include standards for electronic transactions, national provider and employee identifiers, and security and privacy standards for electronic transmission of protected health information." (Corbel)
2d Cir: Insurer's Denial Of LTD Benefits Based On Preexisting Condition Not Arbitrary And Capricious
Excerpt: "An insurance company's denial of a beneficiary's application for long term disability benefits on the grounds that the beneficiary's disability was a preexisting condition was not arbitrary and capricious. This was the ruling of the Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Pulvers v. First UNUM Life Insurance Company." (Spencernet)
3M Retirees Prepare Class-Action Lawsuit Over Retiree Health Benefits Cut
Excerpt: "Many retired 3M employees and their spouses gathered at the American Legion on Thursday morning to discuss a class action lawsuit alleging the company has illegally cut retirement health care coverage." ([Fairmont, MN] Sentinel Online)
Homes, Cars, Jets Among Perks Piling Up for CEOs
Excerpt: "New- and old-economy companies alike are showering execs with lavish jewels such as multiple country club memberships, kids' tuition, multimillion-dollar home loans and lucrative financial and estate planning, a USA TODAY computer-assisted analysis of corporate proxy statements shows." (USA Today)
Talent-Strapped Companies Get Creative to Attract Young IT Talent
Excerpt: "New graduates with IT-related majors are in the driver's seat and are willing to hold out for jobs that offer challenge, excitement, and a relaxed and comfortable working atmosphere." (Information Week)
The Soaring Cost Of Private Health Insurance And Its Impact on Consumers and Employers (PDF)
Excerpt: "As this [May 2000] report points out, health insurance premiums are rising at rates greater than ever before--at four times the rate of general inflation. Once again, we are seeing double digit increases in premiums, and there is no indication that these increases will abate over the next several years." (National Coalition on Health Care)
New Issue Online of the Pension & Benefits Update Email Newsletter by Tax Analysts: May 16, 2000
May 16, 2000 issue; includes info on the recent IRS same-desk ruling, various significant private letter rulings (Tax Analysts)
United's New Approach: Good PR or Better Patient Care?
Excerpt: "When UnitedHealthcare announced last fall that it was unveiling a program that represented 'a new era in modern health care,' many in the industry dismissed it ... United officials boasted that the company was dramatically reshaping its approach to medical management, dropping pre-authorization requirements for physicians and implementing quality measures that would bridge existing gaps in patient care." (Medscape; free registration required)
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