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May 12, 2003 - 8,202 subscribers
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New! International Foundation Books Available on BenefitsLink. When you have the right resources, you can answer the questions that come your way. Each year, the International Foundation teams with respected authors and publishes books on a variety of topics. Whether you're managing pharmacy benefit costs, designing a cash balance plan or communicating benefits to your employees, the International Foundation is your single source of benefit and compensation information and education.
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First Court Ruling Issued on COBRA's New Asset Sale Rules
Excerpt: "In the first case addressing COBRA's final rules on business acquisitions, a federal district court in Washington, D.C., held that a company's buyer was a successor employer for COBRA purposes; therefore, it was obligated to assume the seller's obligation to provide a former employee with COBRA coverage. The court then granted an injunction barring the buyer from denying COBRA coverage." (Thompson Publishing Group)
House Bill Offers Option of Compensatory Time
Excerpt: "Congressional Republicans and corporate America thought they had a family-friendly idea that workers would love-- give them the choice of taking compensatory time or time-and-a-half overtime pay when they work more than 40 hours a week.... [But with] a House floor vote on the bill scheduled for later this month, the fighting is so intense-- and the margin apparently so close-- that each side is predicting victory." (New York Times; one-time registration required)
Benefit Program Helps Support, Educate Expectant Mothers
Excerpt: "In addition to the service to mothers, [the Little One benefits program] helps [plan sponsor] Capital One a great deal by working to reduce the incidence of pregnancy complications, a well-known cost drain for employers. Even for healthy pregnancies, employers have to contend with lost time and absenteeism for regular doctor's visits." (BenefitNews.com)
Debit Cards Unlock Potential Savings In FSAs, HRAs
Excerpt: "Debit cards are proving to be a tremendous tool in the battle to tame double-digit health care cost increases and arm employees with the ability to make better decisions. The most compelling evidence is that debit-card technology has unlocked the long-dormant potential of Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) ..." (BenefitNews.com)
Opinion: How the Use of MSAs, FSAs, and Tax Credits Can Help Meet the Problem of the Uninsured (PDF)
23 pages; written statement provided May 8, 2003 to the House Small Business Subcommittee on Tax, Finance, and Exports. (Tom Miller of the Cato Institute)
Opinion: Health Reimbursement Arrangements-- Making a Good Deal Better
Excerpt: "Currently HRA funds must be spent only on qualified medical services. This means employees can never withdraw their HRA funds as cash for nonmedical uses. This also means that employees are barred from choosing between health care and other uses of the money. Yet nothing encourages prudent shopping like the prospect of a cash reward." (National Center for Policy Analysis)
Health Benefits in Early Retirement Are Shrinking
Excerpt: "Back in 1988, some 66 percent of large employers (with more than 200 workers) offered health benefits to early retirees, people who leave their jobs before they are eligible for Medicare at 65. By last year, firms offering such coverage had dwindled to 34 percent of large employers ..." (California Health Care Foundation)
Despite Budget Troubles, Maine Continues to Focus on Healthcare Issues
Excerpt: "Maine is one of the few states in the country to focus on health care this year, as most legislatures continue to battle ongoing budget deficits.... Maine has had its share of budget problems this year, but a push by Gov. John Baldacci and the Legislature to adopt the budget early cleared the way for health reform." (MaineToday.com)
Opinion: Demonizing Drugmakers-- the Political Assault on the Pharmaceutical Industry
Includes link to 56-page analysis. Excerpt: "[I]ndustry critics propose everything from socialized medicine to price controls and limits on patents. Such measures would, however, reduce incentives to create new medicines.... Policymakers must avoid taking steps that would, intentionally or not, wreck a world-leading industry and deny people access to life-saving medicines." (Doug Bandow The Cato Institute)
Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General
401(k) Disability Feature Gains Broker Interest
Excerpt: "If an employee becomes disabled, the insurer replaces his 401(k) contribution for the duration of the disability, on top of any income. The concept appears to be generating some excitement among the broker community, with some reacting enthusiastically to the idea." (BenefitNews.com)
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
Operations Compliance Consultant
for Gallagher Benefit Services, Inc.
in IL, MI
Retirement Services Implementation Specialist
for ADP
in MO
Actuary -- Senior Pension Actuary
for Pacific Coast Actuaries, Inc.
in ALL STATES
Manager, Retirement Plan Services
for Diversified Investment Advisors
in MO
Newly Posted Webcasts
(Post Yours!)
Where do Plan Sponsors go wrong? The Cure: The 401(k) Solution(tm)
on May 14, 2003
presented by Internet Investment Education, LLC
Newly Posted Conferences
(Post Yours!)
Half-Day Seminar on The Internal Revenue (IRS Form 5500 Series)
in FL
May 22, 2003
The Orlando Chapter of the International CEBS Society
Newly Posted Press Releases
(Post Yours!)
Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts Made Easy
(Blasingame and Associates, LTD)
Employee Benefits Security Administration Releases Field Assistance Bulletin on Multiemployer 401(k) Plans
(U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration)
Handy Links:
- View Today's Active Message Threads
- Search BenefitsLink
- Using the Web for Employee Benefits Research
- Employee Benefits Library
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