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March 5, 2003 - 8,066 subscribers
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Bush Medicare Proposal Urges Switch to Private Insurers
Excerpt: "President Bush opened a fractious new round in the Medicare debate [on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2003] by proposing comprehensive drug coverage for elderly Americans, but only if they switch to subsidized private insurance plans." (New York Times; one-time registration required)
Glaxo Loses Ruling in Patent Trial for Depression Drug (Paxil)
Excerpt: "GlaxoSmithKline said yesterday that it had lost a critical patent trial over its top-selling drug, significantly raising the risk that it would face generic competition for the medicine earlier than the company expected." (New York Times; one-time registration required)
Healthcare Costs Reaching Into Wallets of the Middle Class
Excerpt: "The healthcare crisis, long a problem for the working poor, is now taking a tangible toll on middle-class Americans. Spiraling costs are forcing many companies to hike employee premiums so high that some can no longer afford them. And an increasing number of small and medium-sized companies are dropping insurance coverage altogether ..." (The Christian Science Monitor)
Paying for Employee Perks
Excerpt: "One technology-enabled convenience perk offered by some employers is designed to help workers eliminate some of the cost, time, and paperwork involved with monthly bill payment by taking money directly out of people's paychecks." (Information Week)
HIPAA State Preemption: 'A Plaintiff's Haven and Covered Entity's Nightmare'
Excerpt: "HIPAA gives covered entities 60 days to act on requests to amend the PHI in an individual's designated record set. If your state requires a response from you in 30 days, your policies and procedures (and your training on your Ps&Ps) will be flawed if you follow HIPAA. Under these circumstances, you will not be in full compliance with HIPAA, which requires you to follow your more stringent state law." (Report on Patient Privacy via AISHealth.com)
Opinion: Adding Ability to Carry Forward Medical FSAs Balances Will Hurt Employees in Long Run
Scroll down towards the bottom of the linked article. Excerpt: "The proposal to make FSAs more flexible should be viewed as one more Administration proposal ... to move away from conventional employer-based health insurance under which employers generally offer comprehensive coverage with relatively low deductibles and cost-sharing and pay a significant majority of the cost, to a system where individuals bear an increasing share of the burden of paying for their own health care." (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities)
Some Insurers, Hospitals Try Apologizing for Errors
Excerpt: "Malpractice insurers' mantra is often 'deny and defend' when a doctor or hospital is accused of a medical injury. But at least one insurer and several hospitals are trying a different tack, one that sounds a lot like 'I'm sorry.'" (USA Today)
Insurers Favor Variety Over Innovation In Development of New Benefit Designs
Excerpt: "Now that many large insurers already have consumer-directed plan offerings in place, there's little innovation in health benefit designs for mid-year 2003 offerings. Instead, carriers are offering every conceivable variation on existing plan designs, says one consultant, in an effort to meet employers' sometimes-conflicting needs for cost containment and consumer choice." (Managed Care Week via AISHealth.com)
Many Blues Offer Consumer-Directed Products, but Few See Strong Sales
Excerpt: "Interest is high, but enrollment is relatively lackluster in consumer-directed health care products developed by [Blue Cross and Blue Shield] plans across the country-- largely because most employers are waiting to see what happens with the first generation of plans before making the leap, experts say." (The AIS Report on Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans via AISHealth.com)
Breathe Deep: Employers Taking Steps to Assist Workers with Lung Problems
Excerpt: "Some employers have turned to outside vendors to help employees manage their respiratory conditions. These plan sponsors hope educating workers about their ailments and encouraging better self-care through regular mailings, e-mails and telephone calls from nurses will lower health-care costs and improve productivity." (BenefitNews.com)
Opinion: a Patent System Gone Haywire Picks Your Pocket at the Drug Store
Excerpt: "Conservatives blame the government for all of society's problems. In the case of high prescription drug prices, they are right. Drugs are cheap to produce. The only reason that some prescription drugs sell for hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year is that the government grants drug companies patent monopolies for new drugs, under which competitors may not produce the same drug for 20 years." (Los Angeles Times; one-time registration required)
Kaiser HealthPoll Report: Public Opinion on the Uninsured
Excerpt: "The American public is concerned about the issue of the uninsured. When asked in an open-ended question to name the two most important health care issues for the government to address, over one-third (35%) name issues related to health care costs, and nearly two in ten (17%) name issues related to access to care." (The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation)
Michigan Legislation Would Cap Health Plan Premiums for Small Businesses
Excerpt: "Michigan lawmakers last week introduced bills that would limit how much insurers could raise or reduce small businesses' health plan premiums, the Detroit News reports." (KaiserNetwork.org)
Senator to Propose Tax Breaks for Small Businesses That Offer Employees Health Insurance
Excerpt: "Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) on March 3 said she plans to introduce legislation that would provide tax breaks for small businesses that offer their employees health insurance, the Detroit News reports ..." (KaiserNetwork.org)
Medical Malpractice Insurance Rate Spikes: No Clear or Easy Answers
Excerpt: "President Bush, the American Medical Association and the medical malpractice insurers all say that the linchpin of the California action-- a limit of $250,000 on payments for pain and suffering in malpractice lawsuits-- will benefit doctors, insurers and patients across the country." (New York Times; one-time registration required)
Opinion: Proposed LTC Insurance Deduction and Other Health Tax Cuts Likely to be Ineffective
Excerpt: "As part of its fiscal year 2004 budget, the Administration has proposed a deduction for the purchase of long-term care insurance. This proposal would provide little or no assistance to most low- and middle-income families, and thus is unlikely to be very effective in helping more people secure long-term care coverage. Instead, it would primarily serve as another tax-cut benefit disproportionately geared toward high-income individuals." (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities)
Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General
Audio Report: Military Call-Ups Disruptive to Businesses
Excerpt: "The mobilization of military reserve and National Guard units tops 168,000 troops, the largest call-up since the Persian Gulf War. When a key employee is called to active duty, it can disrupt large companies and damage smaller ones. NPR's Elaine Korry reports.' (Mar. 4, 2003) (National Public Radio)
FASB Chief Takes Hard Line On Options As Expenses
Excerpt: "The head of the private group that writes U.S. accounting rules told members of Congress yesterday that he supports treating stock options as corporate expenses and will resist political opposition or challenges from companies that oppose change." (Washington Post)
FASB Chair Wants Options Expensing On Agenda
Excerpt: "The top U.S. accounting rule maker told lawmakers on Tuesday he supported the expensing of stock options but declined to predict what the other six members of the Financial Accounting Standards Board would do." (Reuters)
Newly Posted Webcasts
(Post Yours!)
Medical Malpractice in Crisis: Health Care Policy Options
on March 3, 2003
presented by KaiserNetwork.org
Newly Posted Conferences
(Post Yours!)
HIPAA Privacy Compliance Workshop
in OH
March 25, 2003
SunGard Corbel
HIPAA Privacy Compliance Workshop
in FL
April 1, 2003
SunGard Corbel
HIPAA Privacy Compliance Workshop
in TX
April 8, 2003
SunGard Corbel
ERISA Health Care Claim Denial and Appeal under New DOL Claim Regulation
in IL
May 16, 2003
ERISAclaim.com
ERISA Health Care Claim Denial and Appeal under New DOL Claim Regulation
in IL
June 13, 2003
ERISAclaim.com
ERISA Health Care Claim Denial and Appeal under New DOL Claim Regulation
in IL
July 18, 2003
ERISAclaim.com
17th Annual Employee Benefits Institute
in MO
April 24, 2003
Employee Benefits Institute of Kansas City and UMKC
ERISA Health Care Claim Denial and Appeal under New DOL Claim Regulation
in IL
March 21, 2003
ERISAclaim.com
Newly Posted Press Releases
(Post Yours!)
New Accounting Practices, Rising Prescription Drug Costs and Shifts in Control Concern Public Employee Benefit Plans
(International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans)
SunGard Corbel Introduces Self-Funded Health Plans through Relius Documents Internet
(SunGard Corbel)
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