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October 27, 2003 - 8,609 subscribers
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IRS Releases 2003 IRS Forms 2441 and 1040A (Schedule 2)
Excerpt: "The IRS has released Form 2441 ('Child and Dependent Care Expenses'), and its accompanying Instructions, for the 2003 tax year. Form 2441 is a dual purpose form: it is filed with Form 1040 to determine the amount of the dependent care tax credit available under Code Section 21, and it is used by the taxpayer to explain to the IRS why the amounts in Box 10 of the W-2 (the value of employer-provided dependent care benefits under Code Section 129--DCAP benefits) are not taxable." (EBIA)
Judge Approves Plan to Settle Doctors' Dispute With Aetna
Excerpt: "A federal judge in Miami gave final approval [on Oct. 24, 2003] to an agreement between Aetna, the big health insurer, and nearly one million doctors to end a longrunning dispute over patient care and billing practices." (New York Times; one-time registration required)
Overview: Employer's Restructuring of HR Manager's Duties While On Leave Did Not Violate FMLA
Excerpt: "An employer did not interfere with a worker's Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) rights by failing to restore him to his human resources department job after he took intermittent FMLA leave, a federal district court recently ruled. Although the manager's job duties were more limited after his return to work because his employer had hired a more experienced person to run its HR department, the employer's actions were not illegal." (Thompson Publishing Group)
Overview: SPD That Omits Domestic Partner Affidavit Requirement Violates ERISA Disclosure Rules
Excerpt: "A company's summary plan description (SPD) that failed to describe in one section the need for domestic partners to sign and file an affidavit to qualify for survivor's benefits was deficient based on ERISA's disclosure rules, particularly when numerous references to the affidavit requirement regarding other benefits were elsewhere in the SPD and company handbook." (Thompson Publishing Group)
Seventh Circuit Affirms ERISA Reimbursement Claim Despite Illinois Common Fund Rule
Excerpt: "An ERISA plan's claim for equitable relief to recover benefits it paid from a third-party settlement was not barred, primarily because the plan included clear and unambiguous subrogation and reimbursement provisions, according to the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals." (Thompson Publishing Group)
State of Illinois Would Save $90 Million Annually If Drugs Purchased in Canada
Excerpt: "A study by Illinois officials concludes that the state and its taxpayers could save more than $90 million a year without risking patient safety by setting up a program to buy prescription drugs from Canada for state workers and retirees." (USA Today)
Doctors Hold Anti-Obese Bias, Study Finds
Excerpt: "A study published last month in the journal Obesity Research found that health professionals hold a significant pro-thin, anti-fat bias. This pervasive bias doesn't just hurt feelings, researchers say. It can make obese people -- who constitute about 30% of the population -- less likely to see a doctor and receive potentially life-saving early detection and treatment." (The [Nashville] Tennessean)
Now Law, California Mandatory Health Insurance Act Remains a Battleground
10/27/03. Excerpt: "Still commonly referred to by the legislative shorthand 'SB2,' the Health Insurance Act of 2003 is expected to extend health coverage to up to 860,000 of the state's uninsured. Its passage was sponsored by an unlikely coalition of unions and doctors, with insurers smiling from the sidelines." (California HealthCare Foundation)
Do Some Pay Too Little for Health Care?
Excerpt: "Consider what would happen if employers paid for their workers' car insurance and if that insurance covered routine maintenance. No doubt, the cars would spend a good deal more time in the shop, and the price of repairs and the cost of auto insurance would skyrocket." (New York Times; one-time registration required)
Opinion: This Isn't Such a Bitter Pill
Excerpt: "As they struggle to craft a compromise Medicare bill, members of Congress are facing an unusually contentious and politically explosive issue: Whether the time has come to charge higher-income elderly Americans more than they charge the less affluent for the benefits they receive under Medicare." (Robert D. Reischauer in the Los Angeles Times, via the Urban Institute)
Sen. Frist Calls Universal Access to Health Care a 'Moral Obligation'
Excerpt: "In an interview with ABC Nightly News [last] week, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist addressed the issue of the growing number of uninsured Americans by observing: 'I think our moral obligation is to make sure that every individual in America today, given our prosperity, has access to basic health care.'" (HR Policy Association)
Audio Report: Medicare Drug-Benefit Bill Stalled in Congress
Excerpt: "House and Senate lawmakers negotiating over a Medicare prescription-drug benefit bill have so far failed to reach agreement. Legislators on the conference committee have missed several deadlines to reach a deal, as worries over the cost of the legislation stall progress. Hear NPR's Julie Rovner." (National Public Radio)
Canadian Dentist Wins U.S. Contest to Design Better Healthcare System
Excerpt: " A team of nine U.S. judges awarded Vaughan Glover, a dentist from Arnprior, Ont., a $10,000 prize Friday for his patient-centered proposal to reform the United States' health care system." (Canada.com)
HMO Lobbyist Named Chief of Staff for Gov.-Elect Schwarzenegger
Excerpt: "Patricia Clarey, who served as deputy chief of staff to former Republican Gov. Pete Wilson, will lead Schwarzenegger's inner circle of advisers and help oversee his administration. Clarey, 50, took a leave from her job as vice president for governmental affairs of Health Net Inc., a health maintenance organization based in Woodland Hills, to work on the Schwarzenegger campaign." (The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights)
How to Make Your Telecommute Work
Excerpt: "Working from home is the future, and I am among its staunchest advocates. I not only report on this trend, I live it. And I've learned a few truths and tricks along the way. At least once a week I hear from a reader about to take the plunge, asking for advice. Here's a smattering: ..." (New York Times; one-time registration required)
Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General
Witness List and Links to Prepared Written Testimony on Company-Owned Life Insurance
Hearing held on October 23, 2003. Witnesses included the Honorable Greg Jenner, United States Department of Treasury; Davi M. D'Agostino, General Accounting Office; Spencer Tillman, Journalist; the Honorable Frank Keating, American Council of Life Insurers; Andrew Pike, American University - Washington College of Law; Robert Plybon, Association for Advanced Life Underwriting. (U.S. Senate, Committee on Finance)
Financial Executives Comment on Proposed Changes to Disclosure of Post-Retirement Benefits (PDF)
10 pages. Excerpt: "The Committees on Corporate Reporting ('CCR') and Benefits Finance ('CBF') of Financial Executives International ('FEI') appreciate the opportunity to comment on the Financial Accounting Standards Board's (the 'Board') Exposure Draft of the Proposed Statement of Financial Accounting Standards, Employers' Disclosures about Pensions and Other Postretirement Benefits (the 'Exposure Draft')." (Financial Executives Institute)
Studies Reveal Conflicting Trends Among Wages, Benefits
Excerpt: "Which has the greater pull in attracting and retaining workers: fatter paychecks or better benefits? The latest research hasn't settled the question, but it does highlight some of the factors that should go into making this decision." (BenefitNews.com)
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
New Business Technical Consultant
for Diversified Investment Advisors
in NY
ERISA Consultant
for New York Life Investment Management
in MA
Retirement Plan Specialist
for New York Life Investment Management
in MA
Client Servicing Consultant
for New York Life Investment Management
in MA
Defined Benefit Conversion Specialist
for New York Life Investment Management
in MA
Account Executive Director (Retirement Services)
for Principal Financial Group
in OH
Trust Attorney
for M&I Corporation
in MO
Pension Plan Administrator
for LAR Pensions, LLC
in CT
Newly Posted Webcasts
(Post Yours!)
Pension Financial Economics Webcast Series
on November 18, 2003
presented by Society of Actuaries
Pension Financial Economics Webcast Series
on December 9, 2003
presented by Society of Actuaries
Pension Financial Economics Webcast Series
on January 15, 2004
presented by Society of Actuaries
Interview with Washington Post Reporters on Drug Safety Articles
on October 24, 2003
presented by KaiserNetwork.org
Power to Patients: Moving to Consumer Controlled Health Care Decisions
on October 22, 2003
presented by KaiserNetwork.org
Newly Posted Conferences
(Post Yours!)
Retirement Planning: Opportunities & Challenges Facing the Tax-Exempt Employer
in ALL STATES
November 18, 2003
Thompson Publishing Group, Inc.
Newly Posted Press Releases
(Post Yours!)
Grocery Strike is Wrong - Health Care Is Not A Right
(Americans for Free Choice in Medicine, (AFCM))
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