| The BenefitsLink Newsletter - Welfare Plans Edition |  |
April 27, 2001
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2001 State Mental Health Parity Insurance Coverage Review
Excerpt: "This document was developed by NAMI as part of the Targeted Technical Assistance project of the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) and theDivision of State and Community Systems Development (Mental Health Block Grant) of the Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration,U.S. Department of Health and Human Services." (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill)
U.S. Bancorp Trying Financial Perk Program for Customer Service
Excerpt: "The company, formed by Firstar Corp. of Milwaukee's $21 billion purchase of U.S. Bancorp of Minneapolis, has installed a compensation program that rewards sales and profit growth. In February it announced that all employees, including part-timers, would get stock options. Now it is setting up financial perks that reward customer service." (American Banker)
Wages, Benefits Post Biggest Gain In Year
Excerpt: "Americans' wages and benefits in the first quarter posted their biggest gain in a year, suggesting the slowing economy isn't translating into less compensation for workers who still have jobs." (Associated Press via The Arizona Republic)
Atlanta County Government Approves Benefits to Domestic Partners
Excerpt: "DeKalb County will offer health and life insurance to the partners of gay employees and unmarried couples under a plan adopted Thursday by the board of commissioners. Commissioners voted 6-1 to approve the domestic partner benefits, making DeKalb the first county in Georgia to offer the package to its employees. The benefits apply to health, dental, life and vision insurance." (The Atlanta Constitution)
Companies See Health Costs Rise; Employees Could Face Changes in Coverage
Excerpt: "General Motors Co. spent $3.9 billion, or 2.1% of 2000 net sales, on health care coverage last year, and the company predicts that costs will rise 10% this year -- 'driven' by 'greater use' of prescription drugs and higher prices for hospital and physician services, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports." (KaiserNetwork.org)
New Rules on Who Qualifies for Health Insurance
Brief overview of HIPAA nondiscrimination rules for employers. (Workforce)
AAHP: Independent Medical Review Poised to Dramatically Improve Quality, Safety of Health Care
Excerpt: "Independent medical review -- the process America's physicians say is the best means of resolving health care disputes -- can also dramatically improve the quality and safety of health care in America if Congress will examine the lessons learned at the state level and move to encourage the program's use nationally." (PR Newswire, via Yahoo! Finance)
Report Finds Health Industry Tops Spending List for Lobbying
Excerpt: "The health care industry 'retained its crown as the top spender on lobbying' in the first half of 2000, according to a new report from Political Money Line." (KaiserNetwork.org)
HMO Costs at Heart of Battle Over Medicare's Future
Excerpt: "Health maintenance organizations (HMOs) have long touted their ability to save Medicare money while offering the elderly more benefits. But numerous studies suggest that Medicare's program allowing seniors to enroll in privately run managed-care networks has cost taxpayers billions of dollars more for standard benefits." (StarTribune.com)
The Contingent Workforce
Excerpt: "Management has embraced the concept of a contingent workforce largely because of perceived cost savings. In addition, a contingent workforce can offer flexibility in workforce size, decreases in contributions to employment taxes and employee benefit plans, and reductions in obligations and expenses related to labor law. Despite the potential benefits, however, the contingent workforce can create significant exposures through misclassification of employees." (The Internal Auditor)
Electronic Code of Federal Regulations
GPO is beta testing a new online version of the Code of Federal Regulations, which is updated on a daily basis. (Government Printing Office)
Newly Posted Press Releases
| Dot Coms Join to Deliver 401(k) Services to Financial Professionals (401kExchange.com) |
| VPA, Inc. Adds FMLA Services (VPA, Inc.) |
| TRUSTMARK® ENHANCES RECORDKEEPING SOFTWARE AND WEB SITE (TrustMark) |
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