| The BenefitsLink Newsletter - Welfare Plans Edition |  |
May 30, 2001
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HIPAA and Health Data Privacy Rules (PDF)
2 pages. May 25, 2001 Client Action Bulletin. Excerpt: "As a covered entity, employer-sponsored health plans are prohibited from using or disclosing 'protected health information' (PHI) -- i.e., any individually identifiable health information -- except as authorized by the patient or as permitted by the rules (e.g., for public health, research, and law enforcement activities)." (Milliman USA)
Kaiser to Launch Pilot Program for Gathering Data
Excerpt: "A visit to the doctor could require up to two hours on the Internet if a pilot project at Kaiser Permanente is successful. Medical research is revealing that genetics play a significant role in the health of almost everyone. Future treatment of diseases such as heart disease and cancer likely will be linked to a person's genetic profile. As a result, physicians will need a much more extensive personal and medical history for each patient to determine the best course of treatment ..." (Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal)
University of Pittsburgh Names Panel To Explore Same-Sex Health Benefits
Excerpt: "The panel will be chaired by William Lieberman, a Pitt trustee and executive vice president of Hilb, Rogal & Hamilton Co., a risk management firm. The group's creation is part of an agreement announced last week between Pitt and the American Civil Liberties Union, which represents seven employees who are suing the school over denial of domestic partner benefits." (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
House Passes Bill Increasing Employer-Provided Adoption Benefits; No Senate Action Yet
Excerpt: "Although the bill was passed unanimously, showing broad bipartisan support, the provisions of the bill could be changed, depending on the amount of room in the federal budget after other tax cut measures are passed by Congress." (Hewitt Associates)
Tending to Workers Left Behind
Excerpt: "If handled poorly, workforce reductions-- Wall Street parlance for eliminating workers to save money-- can leave an organization with troubles far beyond the ones represented by red ink. After the terminated employees are gone, those left behind go through a process not unlike grief: sadness, anger, even distrust and guilt." (The [Philadelphia] Inquirer)
Carmaker Takes Lead On Healthcare Reforms
Excerpt: "General Motors Corp. is emerging as a Hillary Clinton-like force in health care -- a power broker pounding the pavement for a systemwide overhaul. But there is one important distinction: GM is succeeding." (The Detroit News)
Pharmaceutical Cost Control in Canada: Does It Work?
Excerpt: "To a large extent, these measures have been effective in price control. Total drug spending in the country continues to rise, however; clearly, mechanisms other than price controls will need to be developed if drug spending is to be better managed." (Health Affairs via Medscape; free registration required)
Job-Based Health Insurance Coverage Is Up
Excerpt: "A rising number of adults signed up for health insurance on the job even as health insurance premiums soared in 1998 and 1999, according to a report released Tuesday by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute." (The Dallas Morning News)
Physician Compensation Method Concerns Many Patients
Excerpt: "Many HMO patients are concerned that the way their physician is compensated may affect the quality of care they receive, researchers report in the Archives of Internal Medicine for May 28." (Medscape; free registration required)
Tax Cut Includes Pension Reform, Changes In Adoption Assistance, Child Care, Educational Assistance
Included in the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 are provisions to change employer-provided adoption assistance, the eligible expenses for child care, employer-provided educational assistance, and a host of pension and retirement plan changes. All of the amendments made by the new law expire after December 31, 2010. If Congress does not act to extend the provisions, the law would revert back to the rules as they existed before passage of the law. (SpencerNet)
Chart of House, Senate and Final Bill Provisions Published Online by American Benefits Council (PDF)
12 pages. Prepared for the American Benefits Council by Randy Hardock and John O'Neill of Davis & Harman LLP. (American Benefits Council)
ASPA Requests Blanket Extension for Form 5500 Filings
Excerpt: "ASPA is requesting that the Department of Labor provide a blanket extension of time to file the 2000 Form 5500 Series, similar to the transition-year extension granted on March 22, 2000 for the 1999 annual return/report forms. Specifically we ask that the deadline to file any 2000 Form 5500 or 5500-EZ which would normally be due on or before July 31, 2001, be automatically extended to October 15, 2001 ..." (American Society of Pension Actuaries)
Handling the Tax Consequences of Incentive Stock Options (ISOs)
Excerpt: "The AMT aspects of ISOs can be particularly harsh when the value of the stock declines after the ISOs are exercised. If the decline is dramatic, it is possible for the AMT liability associated with the ISO exercise to exceed the value of the stock." (Practitioners Publishing Company)
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings (Post Yours!)
| 401(k) Investment Educator | for ADP, Inc. in NC |
| Daily Valuation Administrator | for WESPAC Plan Services, Inc. in CA |
| Employee Benefits Tax Consultant | for Deloitte & Touche, a Professional Services Firm in OH |
| Benefits Manager | for Strong Capital Management, Inc. in WI |
| Sr. Compensation Analyst | for Private Healthcare Systems, Inc in MA |
| Compliance Specialist | for Dreyfus in MA, NY |
| Benefits Administrator | for Gold Kist Inc. in GA |
Newly Posted Conferences (Post Yours!)
| The 2001 Executive Compensation Seminar: Pay at the Top: Executive and Board Compensation | in NY on September 20, 2001 presented by The Conference Board |
Newly Posted Press Releases
| Benefit Software Inc. Launches Fringe Facts® Communicator (Benefit Software Inc.) |
| Subimo and UNICARE Partner to Deliver Health Information to Massachusetts State Employees -- Massachusetts Takes the Lead in Patient Safety for its Employees (Subimo, LLC) |
| Still River Retirement Planning Software, Inc. Releases Software for New Tax Bill (Still River Retirement Planning Software, Inc.) |
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