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November 7, 2002 - 7,906 subscribers
Today's sponsor: EBIA's COBRA: The Developing Law
(Click on company name or banner to learn more.)
Bring Your Group Health Plans into COBRA Compliance COBRA: The Developing Law is the authoritative resource for employers, administrators and advisors who handle COBRA compliance issues. Written by two leading employee benefits attorneys, this manual (over 850 pages) has all the information you need to bring your group health plans into compliance with COBRA.
(Help BenefitsLink to provide this newsletter at no charge to you -- our sponsors pay your way. Remember to visit them periodically; we try to make sure their products and services will be of interest to you. Thanks! --Editor)
GOP Control of Congress Could Reshape Health Agenda
Excerpt: "Another major change in outlook will come at the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee, where conservative Judd Gregg, R-N.H., will take over the chairmanship from liberal Edward Kennedy, D-Mass. Gregg will be the most conservative member to chair the panel since Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, headed it in the early 1980s." (Reuters via Medscape; free registration required)
78% of Oregon Voters Reject Universal Healthcare Proposition
Excerpt: "Oregon voters roundly rejected a $20 billion universal health care plan that aimed to make their state the first in the nation to provide each resident with full medical coverage, early election results showed Tuesday. Local television stations called a defeat for Measure 23, which was trailing by a whopping 78-to-22 percent margin with just under half of the vote in." (CNN.com)
Book Review: the Terrible Gift-- the Brave New World of Genetic Medicine
Excerpt: "Rick Carlson and Gary Stimeling, authors of The Terrible Gift: The Brave New World of Genetic Medicine, use futuristic examples from new research to generate a dialogue on the need for health management reform in the United States." (Medscape; free registration required)
Hospital's State-Law Misrepresentation Claims Against ERISA Plan Are Not Preempted by ERISA
Transitional Hospitals Corp. of La., Inc. v. Advantage Health Plan, Inc., Civ. No. 01-2200 (E.D. La. 10/17/02). Excerpt: "As group health plans scramble to finalize claims procedures that comply with the DOL's new regulations, it bears remembering that the vast majority of group health claims are made, not by plan participants and beneficiaries, but by medical service providers like the hospital that was the plaintiff in this case." (EBIA Weekly)
Analysis: Judge's Ruling Clears Way for Class-action Lawsuit Against Health Plans
Excerpt: "The ongoing tug-of-war between physicians and managed care organizations shifted in doctors' favor recently, when a federal judge ruled that all US doctors could band together to sue several major health plans. The judge's decision clears the way for lawyers to begin delving into health plans' internal memos and to question top executives about their policies and practices for reimbursing doctors." (Medscape; free registration required)
Absenteeism Costs Companies More Than Ever, Survey Reveals
Excerpt: "Employers are paying more than ever for the costly problem of employee absenteeism, according to the recently released 12th annual CCH Unscheduled Absence Survey." (SmartPros)
Mentors Help Workers Handle Personal Problems
Excerpt: "For 20 hours a week, typically, a mentor (or mentors, in a few cases) works on site at businesses or government offices to help employees deal with such issues as transportation, child care, substance abuse, household budgeting, attendance and career planning." (KansasCity.com)
Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General
Will American Companies Fall In Line with IASB Standards on Stock Option Expensing?
Excerpt: "[T]he world's main accounting standard-setters this week joined the most important battle in their history: the attempt to make companies treat share-based payments to their employees as an expense. Up to now, companies have had the choice to record stock options only in the footnotes to their financial statements. Under a new draft rule from the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), a private group based in London, companies will have to deduct them from their profits." (The Economist)
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
Conversion Participant Accounting Representative
for Marshall & Ilsley Corporation
in WI
Supervisor, Benefits
for MidAmerican Energy
in IA
Health Benefits Analysts
for an employee benefits, human resources consulting firm
in AZ
Compensation & Benefits Director
for Global Steel Manufacturer- Multi-Unit Facilities- Job In So. Calif.
in CA
Pension Consultant
for Swerdlin & Company
in GA
Newly Posted Conferences
(Post Yours!)
Securing The Future of Retirement: Redefining legal & regulatory requirements to minimize the risks of Defined Contribution Plans
in DC
January 15, 2003
Merrill Lynch & Certified Financial Planner - Board of Standards, Inc.
Newly Posted Press Releases
(Post Yours!)
Performax Delivers Enhanced Self-Service Internet Capabilities And Real-Time Information To Customers
(PERFORMAX)
Growing Numbers of Employers Are Embracing Long-Term Care Insurance: Special Section Featured in the Employee Benefits Journal
(International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans)
Pension Industry Expert Joins SunGard Corbel Legal Staff
(SunGard Corbel)
Handy Links:
- View Today's Active Message Threads
- Search BenefitsLink
- Using the Web for Employee Benefits Research
- Employee Benefits Library
Feel free to send this email to friends, colleagues or clients, if you copy or forward this email in its entirety (including this boilerplate part). Copyright 2002 BenefitsLink.com, Inc.
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Editor and Publisher: David Rhett Baker, J.D.
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