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August 28, 2003 - 8,445 subscribers
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Many Employers Help Employees Fight Weight Problem
Excerpt: " A year ago, Ellen Lipschitz was so overweight she couldn't climb three steps without stopping to rest. Now she's 93 pounds lighter and her high blood pressure has dropped. A scientist who tests drug compounds at Hoffmann-La Roche, the 55-year-old Lipschitz credits Weight Watchers meetings and daily exercise - all at her office." (AP via Baltimore Sun)
Biggest Users of Sick Leave Face Transfer in N.Y. Fire Department
Excerpt: "Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta said yesterday that the Fire Department would transfer 20 firefighters with the most sick leave absences to other assignments in an effort to stem what he called abuses of its medical leave policy." (New York Times; one-time registration required)
'We've Got the A-Bomb'-- FDA Warns Springfield, Mass., and California About Reimporting Drugs
Excerpt: "The FDA in recent days has moved to prevent some state and city governments from acquiring prescription drugs from Canada, sending warnings to California and the city of Springfield, Mass., the Wall Street Journal reports." (KaiserNetwork.org)
Combating Rising Healthcare Costs Calls for Strong Medicine
Excerpt: "At a recent Milken Institute conference in Los Angeles, in which Wharton was a participant, a number of industry notables from both the buy-side and sell-side of the market crossed swords over the hurdles that the industry currently faces and disagreed about where responsibility lies for some of the problems. But they were in broad agreement about what should be done to combat rising healthcare costs and improve the quality of medical treatment that patients receive." (The Wharton School of the University of Pennyslvania)
Insurers Eye Partnerships With CDH Players as Competition, Demand Heat Up
Excerpt: "With limited resources to build CDH plans of their own, some managed care organizations are looking to catch up to the competition by developing private-label co-marketing agreements with established players." (Inside Consumer-Directed Care via AISHealth.com)
Retiree Health Benefits - the Divergent Paths
56 pages. Excerpt: "This article will briefly summarize the current state of retiree health benefits, review some of the most significant cases and legal theories regarding employers rights to modify or terminate such benefits, and explore the key funding alternatives and related tax rules applicable for retiree health benefits. Additionally, the article will briefly discuss several possible reforms that could provide employers and employees greater flexibility ..." (Aon Consulting)
Fraudulent Health Insurance Schemes Cost Millions
Excerpt: " rapid rise in fraudulent health insurance plans has left more than 100,000 people with millions of dollars in medical debts and no coverage, according to a report released today. The study, by the Health Policy Institute of Georgetown University in Washington, said companies selling phony insurance policies collect premiums from enrollees but fail to pay medical providers." (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Battle over Competing Medicare Bills to Resume in Congress after Recess
Excerpt: "Congressional negotiators will find themselves facing a political crossfire next week when they resume efforts to sort out differences in competing plans that would make far-reaching changes in the Medicare program. About 20 conservative organizations announced Tuesday that they want the House and Senate to scrap the Medicare plans they passed earlier this year ... Meanwhile, a group of unions and consumer groups said it wants Congress to make substantial improvements ..." (The Hartford Courant via NewsAlert.com)
Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General
Fiction: God's Actuary (PDF)
4 pages. Excerpt: "This year's winner of the [Society of Actuaries] Actuarial Speculative Fiction contest is an eerily beautiful, moving, and utterly original evocation of something that happened two years ago on a bright September morning . . ." (Contingencies magazine)
Looking for Smart, Reliable Employees? Respect Your Elders
Excerpt: "With a soft economy that has depleted retirement funds and with people living longer, healthier lives, more Americans are opting to remain in the work force long past retirement age." (Inc.)
Opinion: Much Ado About Options
Excerpt: "Although it has been more than three years since the now infamous economic bubble burst, regulators, congressmen and the media remain remarkably insistent in identifying a blame agent for the excesses of the late 1990s.... The latest target of this well-intentioned group is stock options." (J. William Gurley on CNet.com)
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
Retirement Programs Specialist
for Providence Health System
in WA
Plan Services Associate
for Mullin Consulting, Inc.
in CA
Team Leader, Client Services
for BISYS Retirement Services
in PA
Compliance Officer & Manager
for City National Bank
in CA
Manager of Cash Management/Distribution
for Security Trust Company, N.A.
in AZ
Newly Posted Conferences
(Post Yours!)
49th Annual Employee Benefits Conference
in CA
November 7, 2003
International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans
Effective Liquidity Strategies For Private Equity
in NY
October 30, 2003
Institute for International Research
Newly Posted Press Releases
(Post Yours!)
401(k) INDUSTRY LEADERS TO ADDRESS SPARK MEMBERS AT ANNUAL FORUM IN NOVEMBER
(RG Wuelfing & Associates)
Labor Department Solicits Nominations for 2004 ERISA Advisory Council
(U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration)
CPA Services
(Stellar Software Ltd.)
Handy Links:
- View Today's Active Message Threads
- Search BenefitsLink
- Using the Web for Employee Benefits Research
- Employee Benefits Library
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