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August 5, 2003 - 8,429 subscribers
Today's sponsor: Benefit Software Inc.

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(Please visit our sponsors. We try to make sure their products and services will be of interest to you. Thanks! --Editor)
Government Payment of COBRA Premiums to Group Health Plans
Excerpt: "The general structure of the [Health Care Tax Credit, or HCTC] program is as follows (for COBRA premiums--the structure is slightly different for some other qualified health insurance premiums). The HCTC program will mail application information to individuals identified as potentially HCTC-eligible.... Plans apparently are not required to participate in the HCTC program (even if one of their COBRA qualified beneficiaries has attempted to register for the program)." (EBIA Weekly)

What Does Alcohol Cost Your Company?
Excerpt: "This may be one of the first times that you've thought about alcohol problems and your business. Alcohol costs are frequently hidden, showing up in more expensive emergency room visits and more missed work days. Armed with information about the likely impact of alcohol on your workplace, you can address these issues proactively before they spiral out of control." (The George Washington University Medical Center)

Eldercare: Avoid Productivity Losses Through Effective Communications
Excerpt: "A study recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science shows that long-term stress associated with looking after elderly relatives takes a toll on the immune system of caregivers, placing them at risk for heart disease, certain cancers, arthritis, diabetes, osteoporosis and other age-related illnesses.... Employers must clarify for employees what eldercare is and must communicate more effectively what benefits are available." (The Segal Company)

Health Care Remains Issue in Verizon's Negotiations with Unions
Excerpt: "Officials from Verizon Communications and two unions representing about 78,000 employees in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic regions are continuing contract negotiations in which health care is one of the central issues, the New York Times reports." (KaiserNetwork.org)

Mass. Lawmakers Plan To Introduce Bill That Would Publicize Prices of Prescription Drugs in Canada
Excerpt: "A group of Massachusetts lawmakers this fall plans to introduce a bill that would make the state the first in the nation to publicize prescription drug prices available in Canada and help state residents order drugs from Canadian retailers, the Boston Globe reports." (KaiserNetwork.org)

Sen. Schumer Criticizes Justice Department Concerns About Generic Drug Access
Excerpt: "During an Aug. 1 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) criticized a Justice Department recommendation that the Senate delete from its Medicare bill (S 1) a provision to more quickly bring generic drugs to market, CongressDaily reports ..." (KaiserNetwork.org)

Three Cases Involving Alleged Fiduciary Breach for Failure to Disclose Information to Participants
Excerpt: "In the Michael case, the daughter of a deceased plan participant sued the plan and the administrator for life insurance benefits.... In the Horn case, an employee sued her former employer and its long-term disability plan for benefits.... In the Fisher case, plan participants sued the third-party administrator (TPA) of a self-funded group health plan sponsored by an employer that apparently had no assets and whose owners had declared bankruptcy." (EBIA Weekly)

Welcome to new BenefitsLink advertiser Work & Well, Inc.
Excerpt: "Work & Well, Inc., a company providing comprehensive leave management and administration solutions nationwide, announces the introduction of the WorQuest Leave Assistant suite of products. WorQuest Leave Assistant solutions are intuitive, robust ASP and client server systems that 'automate' the complete leave management and administration process. For more information please contact Linda Southard at 908-429-5500 x222 or email at lsouthard@workandwell.com"


Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General

Six Challenges in Designing Equity-Based Pay
Working paper by Brian J. Hall. Excerpt: "This paper analyzes why the primary goal of the equity-pay explosion-- creating long-run ownership incentives for top executives-- has often been difficult to achieve in practice." (National Bureau of Economic Research)

Pricey Perk Lets Executives Fly High
Excerpt: "Post-Sept. 11 security fears, sweetened compensation packages, new employment contracts and golden parachutes propelled dozens of new deals last year allowing the corporate jet to become a bauble for CEOs, swelling the ranks of executives given virtually unlimited personal access." (USA Today)


Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
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Newly Posted Webcasts
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Beyond Expensing Your Options -- Now What?
on August 26, 2003
presented by Transcentive, Inc.

Filing Forms 3, 4, and 5 Using the SEC EDGAR System
on September 14, 2003
presented by Transcentive, Inc.

Trade Act Tax Credits: A Path to Broader Health Coverage?
on August 1, 2003
presented by KaiserNetwork.org
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