BenefitsLink Health & Welfare Plans Newsletter for February 19, 2001

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The BenefitsLink Newsletter -
Welfare Plans Edition

February 19, 2001

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Risk Classification in Voluntary Individual Disability Income and Long-Term Care Insurance (PDF)
Issue Brief, Winter 2001. Excerpt: "Advances in technology and research continually reveal new information that helps insurers better classify risks. Banning the use of such information could lead to higher costs and reduced access to individual insurance than might otherwise be expected." (American Academy of Actuaries)

Coverage of Sex-Change Operations May Be Approved for San Francisco Health Plan Participants
Excerpt: "The city that symbolizes liberalism and sexual openness is about to extend its health insurance to cover sex-change operations for municipal employees. The Board of Supervisors and Mayor Willie Brown are expected to sign the measure within the next couple of weeks. It will extend up to $50,000 in benefits to city workers who want to switch their gender" (Washington Post)

Creator Of Term 'HMO' Says Consumers Have Lost Choices
Excerpt: "Under the Nixon administration, legislation was passed to make it easier for HMOs to operate in the complicated and heavily regulated health-care market. But the idea didn't take off for decades. [Paul] Ellwood was a small-town doctor in Minnesota when he began to see such flaws in the health-care system that he jettisoned practicing medicine and began to ponder ways to improve the system." (Orange County [Calif.] Register)

(Following items also appear in Retirement Plans Edition)

ERISA Advisory Council Schedules First Meeting for 2001
Excerpt: "New members are Shlomo Benartzi, Anderson School of Management, University of California at Los Angeles, investment counseling; Ronnie Susan Thierman, William M. Mercer, San Francisco, actuarial field; Thomas M. McMahon, Pacific Maritime Association, San Francisco, employer organizations; Robert P. Patrician, Communication Workers of America, Washington, DC, employee organizations, and Norman S. Stein, law professor, University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa, general public." (U.S. Department of Labor)

SEC Issues Accounting Guidance for Stock Option Exercise Rescissions
Excerpt: "Recent press reports have been covering an unusual tax-motivated transaction that emerged in the latter half of last year whereby companies and certain employees have agreed to 'rescind' the previous exercise of a stock option.... The intent ... is to treat the previous exercise as if it had never occurred for income tax purposes (including the 'alternative minimum tax'), so as to eliminate employee tax liabilities incurred earlier in the year when stock prices were high ..." (Frederic W. Cook & Co., Inc.)

Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings (Post Yours!)

Executive Compensation & Benefits Consultant

for Clark Bardes Consulting/Compensation Resource Group, Inc
in CA, DC, GA, IL, NY, OH, TX

Senior Conversion Specialist

for Strong Capital Management seeks Senior Conversion Specialist
in WI

Benefits Consultant

for AARP
in DC

Benefits Manager (Firm Wide)

for Premier International Law Firm
in CA

Newly Posted Conferences (Post Yours!)

Vendor Management: Selecting & Managing Benefit & Other HR Service Providers

in IL on March 12, 2001
presented by WorldatWork

Vendor Management: Selecting & Managing Benefit & Other HR Service Providers

in IL on December 18, 2001
presented by WorldatWork

Vendor Management: Selecting & Managing Benefits and Other HR Service Providers

in NY on April 23, 2001
presented by WorldatWork

Vendor Management: Selecting & Managing Benefits and Other HR Service Providers

in TN on May 4, 2001
presented by WorldatWork

Vendor Management: Selecting & Managing Benefits and Other HR Service Providers

in CA on May 21, 2001
presented by WorldatWork

Vendor Management: Selecting & Managing Benefits and Other HR Service Providers

in CA on September 24, 2001
presented by WorldatWork

Practical Applications in Compensation & Benefits: A Total Rewards Perspective

in DC on April 2, 2001
presented by WorldatWork

Practical Applications in Compensation & Benefits: A Total Rewards Perspective

in CA on July 9, 2001
presented by WorldatWork

Practical Applications in Compensation & Benefits: A Total Rewards Perspective

in GA on August 20, 2001
presented by WorldatWork

Practical Applications in Compensation & Benefits: A Total Rewards Perspective

in MI on October 29, 2001
presented by WorldatWork