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September 21, 2001 - 6,306 subscribers
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Online Medical Records Could Save Lives in Emergencies, WSJ Reports
Excerpt: "Patient privacy concerns also complicate the use of electronic records, as new federal rules set to go into effect in 2003, which establish comprehensive standards on medical data use and other privacy issues, have made hospitals wary about any possible breaches of privacy." (KaiserNetwork.org)
Witness List and Testimony at September 6 Hearing on Genetic Nondiscrimination in Health Plans
Testimony from Ms. Janet Trautwein, National Association of Health Underwriters; Jane Massey Licata, Esq., Licata and Tyrrell P.C.; Mary K. Williams, Esq., Alston & Bird. (Subcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations, Committee on Education and the Workforce, U.S. House of Representatives)
Opinion: Why Not a Bill of Rights for Health Plan Sponsors?
Excerpt: "A plethora of plan sponsor rights [already] exists in and among the various provisions of [ERISA]. However, employers and other plan sponsors often surrender many of the rights granted to them by ERISA through careless plan drafting or administration. This article lists and describe the rights and protections [for employers, and] how employers can better protect themselves from unwanted liability under existing laws." (Michael S. Melbinger, Esq. of Winston & Strawn)
California Patients Allege State Managed Care Officials Fail To Protect Them
Excerpt: "A California consumer advocacy group and nine HMO patients from around the state are suing the California Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) and its officers for allegedly not doing their jobs.... The patients are not seeking financial compensation for any harm incurred. Instead, they are asking the court to order the DMHC to provide copies of materials submitted to the department by HMOs responding to patient's complaints ..." (insure.com)
Examine Your Priorities in the Wake of Attacks
Excerpt: "Across the nation, at nearly every level of the work force, a subtle but far-reaching shift in priorities is under way. Values that were pre-eminent for many people -- career, status, money, personal fulfillment -- now are taking a back seat to more fundamental human needs: family, friends, community, connectedness with others." (CareerJournal.com)
USA Begins to Deal with Grief Over Attacks Workers, Firms Face Emotional Fallout
Excerpt: "Employers are expected to see a drop in productivity, heightened absenteeism and workers suffering from a rash of physical symptoms spurred by stress, insomnia, increasing consumption of alcohol and overeating." (USA Today via IFEBP)
Lapsing Mental Health Law Puts Benefits in Jeopardy
Excerpt: "Concern is spreading among mental health advocates that benefits guaranteed under federal law could be jeopardized as Congress remains preoccupied with responding to last week's terrorist attacks. Current law requiring that insurers equalize lifetime and annual spending caps between mental health benefits and physical benefits is set to expire on September 30. In the current climate, new legislation expanding the parity law seems unlikely to pass any time soon." (Medscape; free registration required)
Using the Web for Employee Benefits Research: Recommended Links
Excerpt: "Here's an organized, annotated list of online resources for performing employee benefits research online. The list is far from comprehensive, but I believe it contains almost all of the online resources that a busy employee benefits practitioner would want to consult." (David Rhett Baker)
Analysis: Government Pension Agencies Respond to Tragedy, Extend Deadlines for Many Rules
Excerpt: "The IRS issued Notice 2001-61 and Notice 2001-63 that, for certain affected taxpayers, grants more time in making certain contributions and distributions. It is expected that Congress and the IRS will also act in granting an extension of time to make contributions which were required to be made by September 15, 2001, for purposes of satisfying a funding obligation under IRC section 412." (American Society of Pension Actuaries)
Call-Up of Reservists Has Companies Reviewing Duty to Workers
Excerpt: "President Bush's order last week calling up as many as 35,000 military reservists sent companies scrambling to learn what their obligations are to workers who may be called to extended active duty. Because of confusion after the Persian Gulf War, Congress updated and clarified employers' obligations in 1994 when it enacted [USERRA]. Generally, a company must hold open a reservist's position or one of similar seniority, status and pay." (Knight Ridder/Tribune via IFEBP)
A Primer on Employment and Reemployment Rights of Employees Entering the Armed Services (PDF)
Prepared by the Groom Law Group. Excerpt: "Many Americans are expected to be leaving civilian life to serve in the armed forces in the near future, a number of them members of the National Guard and Reserves. These individuals have extensive employment and benefits rights under Federal law ... USERRA sets out the minimum rights that service members are entitled to. Employers can and often do provide additional benefits, such as partial pay on military leave, or paid dependent health coverage." (American Benefits Council)
Benefits Council Lauds Postponement of Separate Reporting of Nonqualified Stock Option Gains
Excerpt: "The American Benefits Council welcomed the release today of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Announcement 2001-92 and its changes to Form W-2 reporting requirements for income from the exercise of nonqualified stock options (NQSOs). In the announcement, the IRS postponed the effective date of the new reporting requirements until 2003 and noted that the previously required use of a code 'V' would be optional on the forms for 2002." (American Benefits Council)
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings (Post Yours!)
| Pension Administrator | for Means & Associates, LLC in CA |
| 401(k) Daily Valuation Administrator | for Ingham Group in Miami, Fl in FL |
| 401(K) Plan Administrator | for Sample & Bailey, CPAs, P.C. in CO |
| Employee Benefits Attorney | for Warner Norcross & Judd LLP in MI |
| Senior Benefits Administration | for UMB Bank in MO |
Newly Posted Conferences (Post Yours!)
| 19th Annual Fall Conference on Employee Benefits | in CA on October 16, 2001 presented by Western Pension & Benefits Conference, San Francisco Chapter |
| Legislative Update | in DC on September 26, 2001 presented by Capital Chapter ISCEBS |
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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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