| The BenefitsLink Newsletter - Welfare Plans Edition |  |
March 23, 2001
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Patient Privacy Rules Revisited By House Committee
Excerpt: "Supporters and opponents of patients' privacy rules had another chance to voice praise or protest on Thursday when a Congressional committee invited more public comment on the issue.... Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson must decide if he will implement the rules by April 14. He did not have a representative at Thursday's House Subcommittee on Health hearing." (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
Newsbeat: Medical Privacy
Medscape has collected a fine list of Internet resources on medical privacy issues, including recent news articles. (Medscape; free registration required)
Debate Over Medical Records Privacy Regulations Rages On
Excerpt: "The Bush administration has not yet said whether it will seek to delay or further amend controversial Clinton administration regulations on medical records confidentiality. But at a House committee on Thursday, that did not stop those on both sides from debating what should happen." (Medscape; free registration required)
What's the ROI for Your Benefits?
Excerpt: "With senior financial executives seeking tighter budgets, consultants look to quantify the costs and rewards of offering employee benefits." (CFO.com)
Florida's HMO Appeals Board is Rarely Used
Excerpt: "President Bush says that HMO appeal boards could solve the frustrations of doctors and patients without costly lawsuits against managed care companies. But Florida's experience with a similar board shows the idea might not be the easy cure many are seeking. More than 15 years after Florida created a board to review HMO treatment decisions, it is rarely used, few patients and even doctors seem to know about it ..." (St. Petersburg Times)
Policy Expert Outlines Tax Credit Strategy for Expanding Health Insurance
Excerpt: "The US could cover most uninsured workers and children and ensure American families' future economic security by using part of the $2.7-trillion federal budget surplus to fund a more flexible tax-credit approach, a noted health policy architect proposes." (Medscape; free registration required)
Arbitration Data To Stay Private, California Health Czar Rules
Excerpt: "Saying he lacks the authority, the state's managed-care czar has denied a petition by consumer advocate groups to make arbitration decisions public. Daniel Zingale, director of the state Department of Managed Health Care, denied the petition filed last month by two consumer groups." (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Supreme Court: Employers Can Force Arbitration In Disputes
Excerpt: "Employers can force workers to take job-related disputes to arbitration rather than to court, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Wednesday in a decision that will have broad effects on American workplaces." (CNN.com)
Graef Crystal: For Compaq's Capellas, Rewards Have Little Risk
Excerpt: "Michael Capellas's pay package for being chief executive of Compaq Computer Corp. is a sign of just how far the high-tech industry has traveled toward old-line America. The terms also show that Capellas has little faith in his ability to get his company's stock price back up to its record close of $49.25 a share, reached on Jan. 26, 1999." (Graef Crystal, on Bloomberg.com)
ERISA Advisory Council Schedules Working Group Meetings
Excerpt: "Persons wishing to appear before any of the working groups or wishing to submit written statements on these topics, may contact Executive Secretary Sharon Morrissey in Room N-5656, Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration, Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20210. If written statements are to be provided, 20 copies must be sent to Ms. Morrissey before April 1." (U.S. Department of Labor press release)
IRS Page Provides Handy Links to Employee Benefits-Related Guidance
Links to PDF versions of recent revenue rulings, revenue procedures, notices, announcements and regulations. (Internal Revenue Service)
Rise of Options Triggers Dilution Worries
Excerpt: "Many companies have reacted [to the stock market slump] by issuing new options at lower prices, or even repricing existing options. Companies argue that they have to do so as a retention tool, but it has raised investors' ire and caught regulators' attention - and brought complaints about excessive dilution created when the issuance of additional shares drives down the value of existing ones." (Financial Executives International)
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings (Post Yours!)
| Pension Director | for Florida Pensions, LLC in FL |
| Director Compensation and Benefits | for International Service Organization in IL |
| Qualified Retirement Plan Specialist/Consultant | for National Pension Information Network Services, Inc. in NY |
Subscribe to the Retirement Plans Edition, too (click)
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