| The BenefitsLink Newsletter - Welfare Plans Edition |   |
December 6, 2001 - 6,718 subscribers
Today's sponsor: Glasser LegalWorks
(Click on company name or banner to learn more.)
You are invited to attend the nation's leading seminar on how recent cases affect claims, plan design and operations. Highlights of this year's program include: -Health Care Plan Litigation -Fiduciary Litigation -Preemption after Egelhoff -Aftermath of Pegram -Managed Care Litigation More details are available now in an online brochure: http://www.legalwks.com/conferences/erisa_lit/home.htm
(Help BenefitsLink to provide this newsletter at no charge to you -- our sponsors pay our way. Remember to visit them periodically; we try to make sure their products and services will be of interest to you. Thanks! --Editor)
COBRA Coverage Too Costly, Families USA Study Finds
Excerpt: "More than 725,000 laid-off workers have lost their health insurance since the economy dipped into a recession in March, a report by the advocacy group Families USA has found ... Families USA is using the study to push for expanded federal assistance to help workers maintain their health insurance, and the report was released to coincide with congressional discussions over the economic stimulus package ..." (KaiserNetwork.org)
Stimulus Talks Commence; Disagreement Remains over Health Benefits for Unemployed
Excerpt: "House and Senate lawmakers on the evening of Dec. 4 began negotiations on an economic stimulus bill, which will likely include provisions to help unemployed workers purchase health insurance ..." (KaiserNetwork.org)
In Support of Short Term Disability Benefits
Excerpt: "It is becoming increasingly difficult--perhaps impossible--to forecast an imminent reduction in the costs associated with short-term disability (STD) and long-term disability (LTD). These absences represent a tremendous cost burden for employers today." (Benefits Canada)
Health Plan Would Put Patients In Driver's Seat
Excerpt: "Imagine never having to deal with your HMO again. What if doctors and hospitals competed directly for your business by trying to outdo one another in terms of quality, customer service and price-- just like retail stores or sellers on eBay? Consumers in Minneapolis-- employees of such companies as Target Corp., Pillsbury, 3M and U.S. Bank-- have gotten their medical care this way for five years. And they pay less than their neighbors who still belong to HMOs." (Denver Post)
Compromise on Mental Health Parity Remains Elusive
Excerpt: "Negotiations between House and Senate members over the Senate-passed mental health parity measure continued on Dec. 4, but senior House Republicans and business groups remain 'staunchly' opposed to a compromise that would enact the expansion of the 1996 parity law but allow some businesses an exemption ..." (KaiserNetwork.org)
HIPAA Transactions and Code Sets Rules to Be Delayed Under Bills Passed by Senate & House
Excerpt: "Both bills state that nothing in the bills affect the implementation of the HIPAA privacy regulations required by April 14th, 2003." (HIPAAdvisory.com)
House Passes Extension on Computerized Medicare Claims Filing
Excerpt: "Private health plans and state governments would get an extra year to comply with federal electronic medical records rules under a bill passed unanimously by the House on Tuesday night." (Medscape; free registration required)
Text of House-Passed Bill Delaying HIPAA Administrative Simplification Rules (PDF)
Excerpt: "This Act may be cited as the 'Administrative Simplification Compliance Act'." (American Benefits Council)
Phased Retirement Benefits Employers, But Health and Pension Issues Can Be Obstacles
Excerpt: "[M]any employers would like to keep older workers on the payroll with a diminished workload, but they haven't found effective ways to help such employees stick around. One possible solution is so-called phased retirement, a work arrangement that allows employees near retirement age to make a gradual transition to full retirement." (HR Magazine)
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings (Post Yours!)
| Health & Welfare Consultant | for USI Consulting Group (USICG), a subsidiary of USI Insurance Services in CT |
| Retirement Sales District Manager | for ADP, Inc in CT |
| Manager of New Business (Conversion) | for DAC in AL |
| Financial Writer | for INVESCO Retirement, Inc. in GA |
Newly Posted Conferences (Post Yours!)
| LEADERS IN HRIS Panel & Networking Reception | in IL on February 7, 2002 presented by HRevents |
Newly Posted Press Releases
| MONETA Investment Consulting And Bruce Ruud & Associates Team Up To Provide Unique Fiduciary Services (Bruce Ruud & Associates) |
| American Cancer Society Employees to Receive CareCounsel's Healthcare Advocacy Benefit (CareCounsel) |
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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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