BenefitsLink Health & Welfare Plans Newsletter for January 23, 2002

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January 23, 2002 - 6,390 subscribers

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Kennedy and Bush Negotiate on Patients' Rights
Excerpt: "Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, and the White House are engaged in intensive discussions seeking a deal on patients' rights legislation, and their usual allies are expressing alarm at the terms of a possible compromise." (New York Times; free registration required)

Laid-off Workers Rally For Health Benefits
Excerpt: "The rally, sponsored by the Greater Bangor Area Central Labor Council, was staged to show the differences between two congressional bills that would change how laid-off workers pay their health insurance premiums under COBRA, the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985." (Bangor [Me.] Daily News)

LTV Agrees to Extend Retiree Health and Life Insurance Benefits
Excerpt: "A tentative agreement between the company and its committee of salaried retirees covers about 13,000 former plant managers, executives and others not covered by union contracts." (Cleveland.com)

Los Angeles Times Profiles Leapfrog Group
Excerpt: "The Jan. 22 Los Angeles Times profiled the Leapfrog Group, a 14-month-old coalition of more than 90 public and private organizations and 'perhaps the most influential bloc of health care purchasers in the nation.'" (KaiserNetwork.org)

Corporate Health Plans Are Sore Spot Again
Excerpt: "In an ailing economy, American employers are looking for new remedies to cope with soaring medical costs." (The Economist)

Managed Care Group to Try to Refocus Health Debate
Excerpt: "Armed with new public opinion data, the leading managed care trade association will urge Congress to broaden its debate over a 'patients' bill of rights' to include other problems with the nation's healthcare system, particularly rising costs, officials said Tuesday." (Medscape; free registration required)

(Following items are in both editions of the BenefitsLink Newsletter)

2001 Form 5500 and Schedules Posted on IRS Site
Available in PDF format (requires the free Adobe Acrobat viewer to view or print). Posted January 23, 2002. (Internal Revenue Service)

Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings -