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March 19, 2003 - 8,072 subscribers
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Lawsuit Charges PBMs With Inflating Drug Prices
Excerpt: "The nation's largest public employees union on Tuesday said it has filed suit against the nation's four largest pharmacy benefit managers, alleging their 'illegal, secret dealings' with pharmaceutical manufacturers have forced health plans and consumers to pay inflated drug prices." (Reuters Health via Medscape; one-time registration required)
Overview: Plan Does Not Violate Federal Law Due to Infertility Treatment Exclusion
Excerpt: "[In] Saks v. Franklin Covey Co. ... the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit considered an exclusion in Franklin Covey's group health plan (the Plan) for treatment of surgical impregnation procedures, including artificial insemination, in-vitro fertilization or embryo and fetal implants. The Plan did cover other infertility products and procedures (for both men and women) including oral fertility drugs and penile prosthetic treatments." (The Segal Company)
Military Families Bemoan Loss of Bill on Death Benefits
Excerpt: "When House Republican leaders last week pulled back a bill that had become loaded with $300 million in special-interest tax breaks, one little-noticed provision of the legislation vanished with it: an improved tax break for the families of military personnel killed in battle." (Washington Post)
Health Reimbursement Accounts (HRAs): the Devil Is in the Details
Scroll down the target web page; click on the title of the article. Excerpt: "An HRA is an employer-funded arrangement in which each participant has an individual account for the payment of insured or self-insured medical care..., the unused year-end balance of which can permissibly be rolled over to future years. Presuming that the benefits under the plan are limited to qualified medical care expenses ... those benefits will qualify for the exclusions under Code Sections 105 and 106." (KMZ Rosenman)
One in Four Support Doctors Who Lie to Health Insurance Companies
Excerpt: "A quarter of the public has no qualms about a doctor deceiving an insurance company for the sake of obtaining health services for their patients, according to survey results reported on Tuesday." (Reuters Health via Medscape; one-time registration required)
Health Plan Formularies Contend With Claritin's OTC Market Debut
Excerpt: "Insurers that eliminate coverage of competing brand-name [nonsedating antihistamines] stand to reap significant savings, but the trade-off could be poor public relations for the time being. And many employer health plan sponsors may be reluctant to yank coverage of NSAs and disrupt employee benefits." (Drug Cost Management Report via AISHealth.com)
Destiny Partners With Major Insurer to Create First 'Mainstream' CDH Company
Excerpt: "A soon-to-be announced joint venture between Oak Brook, Ill.-based Destiny Health and a Fortune 500 insurance company will give the regional CDH vendor national exposure and distribution potential, AIS has learned." (Inside Consumer-Directed Health Care via AISHealth.com)
Thousands of Former Bethlehem Steel Employees Scramble for Health Coverage
Excerpt: "More than 200,000 retired steelworkers and their dependents-- including 95,000 from Bethlehem Steel and its Lukens division-- have lost health-insurance coverage in recent years, as 37 steelmakers have gone into Chapter 11. Union leaders say it is just a matter of time before retirees in other industries-- such as airlines-- are faced with the same experience." (The [Philadelphia] Inquirer)
Overview: New Program Provides Assistance with HIPAA, MHPA, NMHPA and WHCRA Compliance
Excerpt: "This new initiative, called 'HIPAA Compliance Assistance Program' or 'H-CAP,' will consist of new publications intended to educate the public on the requirements of the law, a new section of the EBSA Web site dedicated to health law material, and compliance assistance workshops to be held around the country." (The Segal Company)
Analysts Argue for Universal Health Insurance In U.S.
Excerpt: "Providing health insurance coverage to everyone in the United States who lacks it would cost only a fraction of what the nation is already spending on healthcare, a leading health-policy analyst told a conference on the uninsured Tuesday." (Reuters Health via Yahoo! News)
Opinion: Healthcare Insurance Coverage 'Reform'? Consider the Source
Excerpt: "'The danger is that many of the profiteers that already have robbed the health-care system blind -- including hospital chains, HMOs and drug companies -- are now trying to influence contemplated reforms." (Jamie Court and Jerry Flanagan in the Los Angeles Times; one-time registration required)
Overview: California Extends Cal-COBRA Coverage (PDF)
2 pages. Excerpt: "AB 1401 only applies to those federal COBRA or Cal-COBRA beneficiaries who begin receiving continuation coverage on or after January 1, 2003." (Seyfarth Shaw)
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
Defined Benefit Pension Administrator
for Qualified Plan Actuarial & Administration Firm
in MI
Invesmart
for Lead Enrolled Actuary
in OH
Pension Benefit Advisor
for Guardian Life Insurance Company-Chicago, IL
in IL
401(k) Administrator - Defined Contribution
for The Pension Service, LLC
in MA
Institutional Pension Consultant
for TIAA-CREF
in IL
Vice President/Sales
for Stone & Associates
in CA
Manager, Strategy & Design, Compensation & Benefits
for Capital One
in VA
Manager, Health and Welfare, Total Rewards
for Capital One
in VA
Plan Administrator/Manager
for ARG, INC.
in ALL STATES
Newly Posted Conferences
(Post Yours!)
PSCA Technology Conference
in MA
May 1, 2003
The Profit Sharing/401(k) Council of America
HIPAA Implementation Issues for Welfare and Financial Benefit Plan Sponsors
in UT
March 21, 2003
Western Pension & Benefits Conference
IFEBP Certificate Series
in NY
May 15, 2003
International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans
IFEBP Certificate Series
in WI
April 24, 2003
International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans
Newly Posted Press Releases
(Post Yours!)
ALEXANDER HAMILTON INSTITUTE RELEASES NEW FREE REPORT: "Q&A On Exempt Vs. Non-Exempt"
(Alexander Hamilton Institute)
Labor Department Sues Retirement Plan Trustee For Misusing Plan Assets to Pay Legal Fees
(U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Public Affairs, Chicago)
SunGard Corbel Introduces Electronic Reference Tool
(SunGard Corbel)
Barclays Global Investors Leverages Institutional Scale for Smaller 401k Plans
(Internet Investment Education, LLC)
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- Employee Benefits Library
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