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September 2, 2003 - 8,445 subscribers
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Employee Charged With Selling Patient Data
Excerpt: "A patient-care assistant at Memorial Hermann Hospital, Houston, allegedly sold confidential patient information to personal injury attorneys and may have been part of a larger identity-theft ring operating in the area, the Harris County district attorney's office said." (Modern Healthcare)
Lawmakers Returning, Federal Government Retirees Renew Fights Over Insurance Benefits
Excerpt: "[Premium conversion] allows federal employees -- but not retirees -- to pay their health insurance premiums with pretax money, saving more than $400 a year for the typical enrollee. Retirees, who are not allowed to participate because of the tax code, have been working to get in on the premium conversion program since the benefit was started in 2000." (Washington Post)
Financial Assistance Reduces Stress in the Workplace
Excerpt: "More than half of all Americans (55%) recently told Marist Institute pollsters they 'always' or 'sometimes' worry about money. What worries employers is that these personal financial concerns are brought from the home to the job. That's why such organizations as AOL/Time Warner, the Pennsylvania State Credit Union and the Department of Defense are taking proactive measures to educate and assist their employees with problems involving personal finances and debt." (BenefitNews.com)
2004 Segal Health Plan Cost Trend Survey: Preliminary Findings (PDF)
2 pages. Excerpt: "Preliminary findings from the 2004 Segal Health Plan Cost Trend Survey predict cost increases at slightly lower levels than 2003 for almost all coverage categories surveyed. These findings may signal a flattening of hyperinflation experienced for several years." (The Segal Company)
Hospitals Pressured by Soaring Demand for Obesity Surgery
Excerpt: "Doctors and hospitals across the country are scrambling to satisfy the booming demand for surgery that shrinks the stomachs of severely obese people." (New York Times; one-time registration required)
HMO Rate Surge Hits Small Employers Hard
Excerpt: "Rates for commercial HMOs are surging nearly 18% for the 2004 plan year, a trend that's forcing plan sponsors to continue increasing premiums and out-of-pocket costs for patients, according to preliminary analysis by leading benefit consultants." (BenefitNews.com)
Survey: Consumers Want Health Care Costs Information
Excerpt: "Cost is more important than quality, at least to consumers. Specifically, eight out of ten consumers online are looking for comparative health cost information on the Internet. This survey nugget is one of several intriguing findings in the 2003 Consumer Directed Health Care Survey, conducted by the Dieringer Research Group (DRG)." (California HealthCare Foundation)
Medical Malpractice: Implications of Rising Premiums on Access to Health Care
63 pages; August 8, 2003. Excerpt: "GAO examined how health care provider responses to rising malpractice premiums have affected access to health care, whether physicians practice defensive medicine, and how growth in malpractice premiums and claims payments compares across states with varying tort reform laws." (U.S. General Accounting Office)
An Unlikely Pair of Congressmen Fights For Cheaper Medications
Excerpt: "Fed up with paying top dollar for the pills that thin their blood, lower their cholesterol and soothe their aching joints, the seniors poured into the community center [in Chicago] with one request: They want the right to buy their medications from whichever country has the best price, whether it's Canada, Ireland, Australia or the United States." (Washington Post)
Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General
Handling Float Issues Between Financial Service-Providers and ERISA Plans (PDF)
At pp. 3 and 4 of 5-page document. Excerpt: "In November 2002, the Department of Labor ('DOL') issued Field Assistance Bulletin 2002–3 ('FAB 2002–3') to fill a perceived gap in guidance on float, hoping that plan fiduciaries will review their plans for compliance and take steps to protect themselves from overcompensating their service providers. FAB 2002–3 provides guidance to financial service providers and plan fiduciaries on meeting the responsibilities that accompany float." (Trucker Huss)
Delay On Options Expense Could Cost Companies Dearly
Excerpt: "Pressure is building on publicly held companies to account for the value of stock options on annual profit and loss statements as the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) prepares to release new guidance that is likely to mandate such expensing." (BenefitNews.com)
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
Benefits Analyst
for CPE
in CA
Benefits Manager
for Guardian Industries Corp.
in MI
OmniPlus 5.2 Operations Specialist
for Dyatech (formerly AmFed Investment Services)
in MS
TPA Specialist
for Transamerica Retirement Services
in IL
Benefits Consultant
for United Actuarial Services, Inc.
in IN
TPA Specialist-Eastern Region
for Transamerica Retirement Services
in NC
Benefits Support Manager
for Gevity HR
in FL
Benefits Consultant
for EBS Benefit Solutions
in NY
Corporate Benefits Manager
for Fortune 500 Company
in WI
Director Health Policy
for The ERISA Industry Committee (a Washington DC-based trade association)
in DC
Retirement Plan Wholesaler
for Retirement Marketing Specialists
in NJ, PA, VA
Newly Posted Webcasts
(Post Yours!)
New Developments in U.S. Pension Reform Legislation
on August 27, 2003
presented by TIAA-CREF
Newly Posted Conferences
(Post Yours!)
Hot Topics for 401(k) Plan Sponsors
in CA
September 18, 2003
Western Pension & Benefits Conference - Orange County Chapter
More 12B-1 Fees Come to Market: New Revenue-Sharing Opportunities for 401(k) Plans
in ALL STATES
September 18, 2003
Thompson Publishing Group, Inc.
Movers and Shakers: Newly Posted Announcements of Promotions and New Personnel
(Post Yours!)
Danny Streiff (ICC Plan Solutions)
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