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March 28, 2003 - 8,069 subscribers
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FDA Considers New Rules for Direct-to-Consumer Rx Ads
Excerpt: "As direct-to-consumer advertisements for brand-name prescription drugs increasingly appear on Americans' televisions, federal health officials are considering new rules to better inform consumers of drugs' risks and side effects." (BenefitNews.com)
Cutting Work Is Good for You, and Cutting Vacation Time Can Kill
Excerpt: "With the nation on edge, taking a vacation may be the last thing on your mind. You might want to reconsider. A growing body of research suggests the American trend toward skipping vacations is hazardous." (CareerJournal.com)
Managers, Employees Disagree on Most Helpful Voluntary Benefits
Excerpt: "According to Eastbridge Consulting Group's ... study on the employer side of worksite marketing, benefit managers are most interested in adding long-term care coverage, auto insurance and legal service plans to their benefits programs. However, employees claim to be more interested in products that help with health care expenses ..." (BenefitNews.com)
Satisfied with Pay, Employees Crave Recognition, Incentives
Excerpt: "Research on pay practices and employee performance finds workers would feel a lot better about their organizations if superiors would recognize and acknowledge a job well done. New study results from Mercer Human Resource Consulting show many workers want a pat on the back in addition to their paycheck." (BenefitNews.com)
New York City Mayor Wants 104 Benefit Funds to Merge, to Economize
Excerpt: "The Bloomberg administration is proposing that city unions merge their 104 separate benefit funds, which finance prescriptions and dental and optical services, to save the city more than $100 million a year." (New York Times; one-time registration required)
Sen. Feinstein Says She Is Withdrawing Support for Legislation That Would Cap Medical Malpractice Awards
Excerpt: "Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) has said she will no longer support a bill that would cap jury awards for noneconomic damages in medical malpractice suits at $500,000, after the American Medical Association and the California Medical Association expressed opposition to the measure, the New York Times reports ..." (New York Times; one-time registration required)
Opinion: Insurance Reform Needed, Not Malpractice Reform
Excerpt: "The insurance companies are using U.S. Rep. Nancy Johnson of Connecticut, among others, to push their agenda. She has recently written that the unprecedented size of medical malpractice awards is driving medical premiums through the roof ... The solution, according to her ... is to place caps on malpractice awards. Johnson is seriously misinformed and materially misleading. This is one more attempt by the insurance companies to increase their profits ..." (CTNow.com)
Most Individuals Are Unaware of Consumer-Directed Health Plans
Few individuals have heard of consumer-directed health plans, and even after they gain an understanding of how the plans work, they find the plans unappealing, according to a recent study. Among the 800 Californians surveyed on behalf of California Health Decisions (CHD), 85% reported that they had never heard of consumer-directed health plans; after hearing a description of the plans, only one in seven reported that they had heard of them; and only 3% knew someone enrolled in such a plan. (SpencerNet)
Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General
Termination of Musicians Who Were Independent Contractors Did Not Violate Title VII, ADA
Two musicians were independent contractors, and not employees, and therefore their termination by a symphony did not violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (relating to sex discrimination) or the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This was the decision of the Eighth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Lerohl and Hanson v. Friends of Minnesota Sinfonia and Fishman (Nos. 02-1433 and 02-1443). (SpencerNet)
Fired CEO of Dow Chemical Leaves with $5.6 Million Severance Package
Excerpt: "Former Dow Chemical Co. CEO Mike Parker may have shouldered the lion's share of the blame for the company's lackluster performance when he was fired in December. But Parker didn't exactly walk out the door penniless when he resigned last month at age 56." (The Charleston [W.Va.] Gazette via NewsAlert.com)
Arizona State Agencies Face Higher Pension, Health Costs
Excerpt: "Lawmakers have earmarked $17.8 million to offset the increased cost of benefits for Department of Corrections and Department of Public Safety employees, while leaving other agencies and their workers to fend for themselves in covering pension contributions and bumps in health insurance costs. That could mean layoffs as agencies dip into their coffers to pay for constitutionally required pension plan contributions and inevitable health insurance premium increases ..." (AZCentral.com)
Observations on the Concurrent Receipt of Military Retirement and VA Disability Compensation
Testimony by Cynthia A. Bascetta, director, education, workforce, and income security issues, before the Subcommittee on Personnel, Senate Committee on Armed Services. GAO-03-575T, March 27, 2003. (U.S. General Accounting Office)
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
Enrolled Actuary
for Invesmart
in MA
Sales Associate - Health and Welfare Administration
for National Employee Benefits Outsourcing Vendor
in DC, DE, IN, KS, KY, MD, MO, ND, NE, OH, SD, TX, VA, WV
Director of Benefits
for Diversified Entertainment Company
in CT, NJ, NY
Document Specialist/Assistant
for Sinclair, Haynes & Cowing P.C.
in MO
Regional Account Manager - Bilingual
for Market Leading Provider of Life Insurance and Retirement Plans
in TX
Defined Benefit Specialist
for Northern Trust Retirement Consulting, L.L.C.
in GA
Specialty Benefit Sales/Group Sales/Consultant/Manager
for Specialty Benefits Representative Opportunity
in Location Other Than U.S., ALL STATES
Sales Director-- Retirement Core Markets
for Wachovia Corporation
in GA, NC
Newly Posted Press Releases
(Post Yours!)
AHI's BenefitsAlert Releases New Free Report: "Reinstatement Rights For Military Leave"
(Alexander Hamilton Institute - AHI's BenefitsAlert.com)
ICMA Retirement Corporation Introduces Spanish Website
(ICMA Retirement Corporation)
PBGC Will Not Object to "Follow-On" Pension Plan for US Airways Pilots
(Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation)
Handy Links:
- View Today's Active Message Threads
- Search BenefitsLink
- Using the Web for Employee Benefits Research
- Employee Benefits Library
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