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July 3, 2003 - 8,349 subscribers
Today's sponsor: International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans
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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.
(Please visit our sponsors. We try to make sure their products and services will be of interest to you. Thanks! --Editor)
U.S. Moving Toward Paperless Healthcare System
Excerpt: "The government on Tuesday announced several steps aimed at building a national system of fully electronic medical records and communications among doctors, patients and insurers." (Reuters Health via Yahoo! News)
Will Employers Transform Healthcare? (PDF)
At pages 4 through 7 of 12-page document. Excerpt: "Some of the more innovative employer-sponsored healthcare plans are applying [the Amazon.com Internet retail model] by aggregating the purchasing data between their employees/consumers and the providers/vendors. They are determining product/service standards and measures, assessing quality and cost, and enabling employees to comparison-shop for their healthcare intelligently and responsibly." (Milliman USA)
Capitol Hill Proposal Includes LTC Coverage Under Cafeteria Plan or FSA
Excerpt: "Two influential senators-- Democrat Bob Graham of Florida and Republican Charles Grassley of Iowa-- last week introduced a bill that not only would authorize tax deductions on LTC premiums and tax credits to individuals and their caregivers, but let employers offer the insurance on a pre-tax basis as part of a cafeteria plan or flexible spending account." (BenefitNews.com)
Can Our Company's Health FSA Reimburse Claims for Physician Retainer Fees?
Excerpt: "One of our employees received a letter from her physician requiring her to pay a $25 monthly retainer in order to continue to be a patient. The fee is in addition to any insurance co-payments or deductibles that apply to office visits. If she decides to pay this retainer, can she be reimbursed from her health FSA?" (EBIA Weekly (Question of the Week))
New Work/Life Benefit: Helping Workers Find the Branch Office Nearest Their Home
Excerpt: "ProximateCommute Online [is] a systems-based application that lets employees log on and search for similar, shorter-commute jobs with the same employer. The program maps and details their current commute time, distance, cost and pollution generated, and compares those with the shorter commutes identified by the program." (Network World via International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans)
Self-Insured Healthcare Risk-- Take It or Leave It? (PDF)
At pages 8 through 11 of 12-page document. Excerpt: "Some of the more innovative employer-sponsored healthcare plans are applying [the Amazon.com Internet retail model] by aggregating the purchasing data between their employees/consumers and the providers/vendors. They are determining product/service standards and measures, assessing quality and cost, and enabling employees to comparison-shop for their healthcare intelligently and responsibly." (Milliman USA)
Analysis: Providing Health Benefits Through Associations (PDF)
At pages 1 through 3 of 12-page document. Excerpt: "This article presents an overview of the small-employer healthcare market and discusses some of the advantages and disadvantages of AHPs." (Milliman USA)
Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General
Special Retirement Plans for Top Executives Become Target for Other Stakeholders
Excerpt: "Think Social Security sets up intergenerational conflict? Try deferred compensation for top corporate managers. At financially strapped Delta Air Lines, in fact, a much-publicized dispute over the funding of special retirement plans for highly paid executives pits the company's retired CFO against its current one." (CFO.com)
Stock Option Grant Announcements and Shareholder Value
A new study shows that shareholders react positively to broad-based option grant announcements but not to grants just to top people. (National Center for Employee Ownership)
2003 Spencer Survey of Benefits Managers Begins Collecting Data
Aspen Publishers Spencer Benefits Reports currently is collecting information for the 2003 Spencer survey of benefit managers and employee benefits departments. This 9th biennial survey requests information concerning compensation, organization, and functional responsibilities of corporate employee benefits departments. The information provided will be collated and published by Spencer Benefits Reports. All survey respondents will receive a copy of the published survey at no charge. (Spencer Benefits Reports)
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
Pension Plan Administrator
for Alliance Benefit Group of New England
in NH
Plan Specialist
for Transamerica-The Winning Organization
in CA
Employee Benefits Customer Service Representative
for Great West Life & Annuity
in IL
ERISA Compliance & Consulting Director
for Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
in ALL STATES
Trust Administrator
for CNA Trust
in CA
Pension Administrator
for Mid-Town New York City Pension Administration Company
in NY
Internal 401(k) Wholesaler
for Unified Trust Company, NA
in KY
Newly Posted Webcasts
(Post Yours!)
HIPAA Privacy: The Aftermath
on July 18, 2003
presented by International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans
Newly Posted Conferences
(Post Yours!)
IA Week's Third Annual Fall Compliance Conference
in PA
September 8, 2003
IA Week
Newly Posted Press Releases
(Post Yours!)
2003 Spencer Survey Of Benefits Managers Begins Collecting Data
(Spencer Benefits Reports)
AUL Features Advice by Ibbotson™
(American United Life Insurance Company®)
Handy Links:
- View Today's Active Message Threads
- Search BenefitsLink
- Using the Web for Employee Benefits Research
- Employee Benefits Library
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Editor and Publisher: David Rhett Baker, J.D.
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