| The BenefitsLink Newsletter - Welfare Plans Edition |  |
August 28, 2001 - 6,288 subscribers
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IRS Official Comments on Up-Front Reimbursement of Orthodontia Expenses, Other Cafeteria Plan Issues
Excerpt: "In a departure from prior informal comments, Mr. Beker said he thought the full $2,000 could be reimbursed up front, adding that he's been convinced that orthodontia should not be treated like other medical expenses. He seems comfortable with a fairly liberal application of the 'claims incurred' rule (quoted above) in this circumstance." (EBIA Weekly)
Healthcare Rate Hikes Passed to Workers
Excerpt: "Health insurance premium increases, some higher than 50 percent, are shocking Greater Cincinnati employers into making changes they dared not consider in recent years -- paring down benefits and passing more costs on to workers.... In a 2001 survey of Courier subscribers, more than half of local employers cited rising health care and benefit costs for employees as their most important business problem." (Cincinnati Business Courier)
How the Patients' Bill of Rights May Affect Managed Care Company Credit Ratings
Excerpt: "From the managed care industry's viewpoint, the PBOR compromise reached this morning between the White House and Representative Norwood is far less onerous than the Senate version, and it is likely to closely resemble the bill that will ultimately be adopted. Nevertheless, Standard & Poor's believes this bill will affect the credit ratings on many health care companies, particularly managed care and health insurers and providers." (Standard & Poor's)
Criminal Prosecution for HMO Treatment Denial (PDF)
41 pages. Excerpt: "To my knowledge, no HMO entity or personnel have ever yet been criminally prosecuted for wrongful delay or denial of treatment authorization. It may, however, be only a matter of time before such prosecutions are attempted.... Although criminal punishment is a dramatic response to administrative errancy, the fact remains that it is the response prescribed by law for cases where people's conduct proves deadly or causes serious bodily harm." (Prof. John A. Humbach in Health Matrix, published online by HARP.org)
Smaller Employers More Likely to Support Patients' Right to Sue Health Plans, Survey Says
Excerpt: "Two-thirds (67%) of smaller employers express support for the right to sue a health plan compared to 28% of larger employers. Eighty-six percent (86%) of smaller employers and 74% of larger employers support independent review." (Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation)
Needs of Aging Parents Task Workers, Employers
Excerpt: "According to information compiled by LifeCare Inc., a Connecticut workplace consulting firm, the number of companies surveyed offering elder-care programs has doubled since 1993 to 40 percent. Of those, 81 percent offer resource and referral services, 35 percent offer long-term care insurance, 14 percent offer counseling and 4 percent offer other types of aid, such as financial support." ([Louisville Ky.] Courier-Journal)
HMOs Eyeing Surcharge For High-end Care
Excerpt: "Rising medical costs soon may force consumers - many of whom already pay extra for brand-name medications - to pay more for treatment at brand-name academic medical centers or other high-cost hospitals. Several managed-care companies, including Tufts Health Plan in Massachusetts, will introduce plans in 2002 that level a surcharge on consumers who choose to visit more expensive hospitals." (Boston Globe)
Seasonal Work Ultimate Choice In Job Flexibility
Excerpt: "[Certified public accountant] Carla Berkefeld ... calls herself a 'seasonal' worker: She has been allowed to vary her work schedule dramatically-- and because she's been able to do so, she remains a valued and loyal employee." (Chicago Tribune)
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings (Post Yours!)
| Qualified Retirement Plans Manager | for Arthur Andersen, Human Capital Consulting in IL, MI, TX |
| Senior Manager/Practice Leader-Compensation and Benefit Consulting | for Retained Executive search firm in NY |
| Pension Administrator | for B & B Benefits Administration, Inc. in CA |
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Copyright 2001 BenefitsLink.com, Inc., but you may freely distribute this email newsletter in whole. This newsletter is edited by David Rhett Baker, J.D.
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