| The BenefitsLink Newsletter - Welfare Plans Edition |  |
May 7, 2001
Today's sponsor: Employee Benefits Webcast (click)
Webcast coming up May 30! FMLA: The Family and Medical Leave Act -- "It's Not Getting Any Easier." Instructor: Christine E. Howard, Esq. and Jennifer B. Sandberg, Esq., Fisher & Phillips LLP. Presented by Human Resource Consultants. Click to register and purchase this webcast through BenefitsLink!
Doctors Fear Consequences of Proposals on Liability
Excerpt: "Doctors supporting patients' rights bills have suddenly become alarmed that some of the proposals could boomerang and expose them to new lawsuits.... under some of the bills, doctors say, it would also be easier for patients to sue doctors in federal court. And, they say, they could be held liable for damages, along with the health plans." (New York Times; free registration required)
California Court Boosts Seniors' Rights
Excerpt: "About 1.5 million California senior citizens who receive Medicare benefits through HMOs won the right Thursday to sue their health maintenance organizations for damages. The 5-2 ruling by the state Supreme Court came in the case of a man who was denied a lung transplant. His HMO allegedly forbade the transplant because it cost too much." (Associated Press)
Andersen Human Capital Compensation and Benefits Alert for April 16, 2001 (PDF)
Excerpt: "Issue highlights: Bush directs no further delay in implementation of privacy regulations; IRS clarifies qualified transportation fringe; Treasury expedites split-dollar insurance guidance; benefit regulations; IRS educational outreach for 403(b) and 457 plans; Denial of benefits where participant refuses to sign subrogation form; Safe harbor language for granting discretion to plan administrator; No 'good faith' COBRA compliance if failure to provide notice known." (Andersen)
In Tennessee, Compromise Work on HMO Liability Bill Delays Debate
Excerpt: "State lawmakers have delayed until next week debate on legislation that would allow Tennesseans to sue their health insurance plans if they feel they have been denied medically necessary care." (The [Nashville] Tennessean)
Patients Rights Effort Sputtering
Excerpt: "It's been more than three years since consumer groups began blitzing Congress with daily first-person accounts of patients' struggles with health maintenance organizations (HMOs).... Weeks of private talks between lawmakers and the White House have reached no agreement on the crucial issue of making HMOs liable to lawsuits for damages if they provide poor care or improperly deny treatment. Under current law, most employer-provided health plans are exempt from such lawsuits." (Cox News Service)
NCQA Issues Second Edition of Survey on Health Plan Quality
Excerpt: "The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has released the second edition of Quality Profiles™: In Pursuit of Excellence in Managed Care, a publication designed to promote improvement in patient care and service among the nation's health plans." (National Committee for Quality Assurance)
Prescription Drug Costs -- Issues for Employers, Employees, and Retirees
Excerpt: "One of the major drivers of this health inflation is the dramatic increase in the usage of prescription drugs, with some studies showing rates of increase as high as 24 percent." (Deloitte & Touche)
In San Francisco: Health Benefits for Transgenders
Excerpt: "The city's ... transgender health benefits has been denounced as reverse discrimination, a bad message to send to children and a waste of taxpayer money. But Cecilia Chung cannot wait to take advantage of the nation's only such coverage. Born a man, Chung had sex-change surgery in Thailand in 1998. She has since experienced complications, and the measure passed this week by San Francisco means the city's insurance policy will cover most of the cost of correcting those problems." (Associated Press, via Yahoo! News)
Two Little Words Can Spell All the Difference In Long-Term Care Insurance Contracts
Excerpt: "The distinction between the words 'and' and 'or' seems obvious, but failure to recognize the distinction properly could expose long-term care insurance policyholders and the industry to costly and unnecessary litigation and dissatisfaction." (The National Underwriter Company)
Another Question is Answered in the Stock Options, Restricted Stock and Other Long-Term Employment Incentives Q&A Column
Is it advisable to make an "early purchase"? Does the government impose any deadline upon such an early purchase, such as 180 days after starting work? (BenefitsLink.com)
2001 ERISA Calendar Online from Watson Wyatt
Excerpt: "The Year 2001 ERISA Reporting Calendars are now available... online! Plan administrators of single and multiemployer pension and welfare benefits plans can access concise information on when, and how to file annual reports with the DOL, IRS and PBGC. Information on how and when to disclose tax and benefit information to U.S. plan participants, beneficiaries and alternate payees is also available." (Watson Wyatt)
Towers Perrin U.S. Legislative Tracking Charts
Grouped by topic: Retirement, Human Resources, Health and Welfare (Towers Perrin)
Employee Benefits Regulations
Carol Calhoun's employee benefits site has now added links to the online versions of both ERISA and tax regulations, organized by the Internal Revenue Code or ERISA section they implement. The links lead to the relevant regulations on e-CFR, which is updated daily. (Calhoun Law Group, P.C.)
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings (Post Yours!)
| Benefits Consultant | for Clark Bardes Consulting/ Compensation Resource Group in NJ |
| Human Resources Manager | for The American Funds Group in TX |
| Benefits Paralegal | for LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae, L.L.P. in FL |
| Employee Benefits Tax Consultant | for Deloitte & Touche in FL, GA, NC |
| Pension Account Executive | for Diversified Investment Advisors in NY |
| QA Testing Specialist | for Emplanet in MA, NH |
Newly Posted Press Releases
| LIMRA Taps 401kExchange's Barstein to Speak at Brazil 401(k) Conference (401kExchange.com) |
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