| The BenefitsLink Newsletter - Welfare Plans Edition |  |
September 12, 2001 - 6,306 subscribers
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San Francisco Law on Benefits Is Upheld
Excerpt: "A federal appeals court Tuesday upheld a San Francisco ordinance demanding that airline carriers at San Francisco International Airport offer domestic partner benefits to their unmarried workers. San Francisco's 1997 law, the nation's first, requires contractors doing business with the city to offer the same benefits to unmarried employees' domestic partners as they do to married employees' spouses." (Los Angeles Times)
Aetna Plays "Let's Make a Deal" for Flex Time Benefits
Excerpt: "Variable 9/10 schedules helped the company overcome staff resistance to working Saturday hours. Indeed, Aetna found a way to boost morale as well. Employees work four nine-hour days during the week, which gives them one full weekday off to spend with family or run errands. In return, employees work four hours on Saturday." (IOMA's Report on Managing Benefits Plans)
CMS Issues Final Rules On Hospital PPS For New Medical Technologies
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued final regulations that establish a mechanism for increased Medicare payments under the inpatient hospital prospective payment system (PPS) for new medical services and technologies. The mechanism is required by the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000. (Spencernet)
Free Webcast of Portions of Harvard HIPAA Colloquium
Includes presentation (click on 'Day 2') on 'The Law and Regulation of Healthcare Privacy and Security' by Jonathan Zittrain, Esq. and 'International, Federal and State Privacy Regulation, Including European Union Data Protection, eSign, Gramm-Leach-Bliley and HIPAA' by Alan S. Goldberg, Esq. (Health Care Conference Administrators, LLC)
California Governor Sides with HMOs in Opposing Legislation Backed by Physicians
Excerpt: "The governor's position ... has touched off a fierce backlash, with some leading Democrats accusing ... Davis, a fellow Democrat, of compromising health care in favor of profit-making HMOs, several of which are major donors to the governor's reelection campaign.... Among those bills are measures that would ... [g]ive doctors and others the right to sue health insurance companies in cases in which they allege that contracts governing care and reimbursement are unfair ..." (Los Angeles Times)
Rising Prescription Costs Tough to Swallow
Excerpt: "As U.S. drug companies continue to bombard the market with costly new products, small businesses are struggling to find money to pay for them. The numbers are staggering. Last year, prescription drug costs in the United States rose 16 percent and are expected to grow nearly 20 percent this year and in 2002, according to Segal Co., a New York-based consulting firm. Nationally, consumers spent $150 billion on prescription drugs in 2000." (Cincinnati Business Courier)
Campaign Started for Florida 'Bill of Rights' for Patients Amendment to Florida Constitution
Excerpt: "With Congress at odds over legislation giving patients the right to sue health insurers for damages, a campaign has emerged to put a 'Patients Bill of Rights' in the Florida Constitution. An Orlando attorney whose firm specializes in personal injury and wrongful death cases announced Monday that he and several other attorneys have launched a drive to collect the necessary signatures to put a constitutional amendment on the November 2002 ballot." (The [Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.] Sun-Sentinel)
Defined Contribution Health Care Plan Is a Successful Way To Control Rising Costs: Survey
With health care costs rising for more than nine out of ten public and private employers, a recent survey suggests that a defined contribution-type health care plan may be a viable approach to holding down costs. In its first Productive Workforce Survey, Arthur Andersen, CalPERS, and Total Health Advocacy Partners surveyed 206 private employers and public agencies to find out the key business issues that are affecting day-to-day operations. (Spencernet)
ASPA's Los Angeles Benefits Conference Scheduled for September 13 and 14 has been CANCELED
The 2001 Los Angeles Benefits Conference, which was scheduled to be held at the Universal City Hilton and Towers, September 13-14, 2001, has been CANCELED due to the national tragedy on September 11. ASPA will notify attendees soon, regarding the status of the event. (Source: http://www.asppa.org/whatsnew.htm) (American Society of Pension Actuaries)
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings (Post Yours!)
| Consultant, Employee Benefit | for The Standard Insurance Company in ALL STATES |
| Pension Administrator | for Pension Investors Corporation in FL |
| Benefits Specialist Supervisor | for Ceridian in FL |
| Pension Specialist - Actuarial | for American Home Products Corporation in NJ |
| Lead Technical Analyst | for First Trust Corporation in CO |
| Pension Administrative Assistant | for Porte Brown LLC in IL |
Newly Posted Press Releases
| Union Bank of California, N.A., 401(k) Pro, Inc. Creating Web-based 401(k) Administration Service for Small Businesses (Pentec Systems, Inc.) |
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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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