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January 29, 2004 - 8,783 subscribers
Today's sponsor: ActiveHIPAA
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Supreme Court To Consider Texas Law Allowing Patients To Sue HMOs in State Court for Coverage Denial
Excerpt: "The Supreme Court on March 23 will hear oral arguments in a case concerning a Texas law that allows patients to sue HMOs in state court if they sustain injuries as a result of denied coverage, the Houston Chronicle reports." (KaiserNetwork.org)
Overview: Supreme Court to Take Up Patients' Rights
Excerpt: "At issue in the two combined cases from Texas the Court agreed to examine is whether patients who believe they have been harmed have a right to sue their health plans in state courts for malpractice or some other tort. Or does the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) preclude such action by giving the federal government sole authority to regulate employee benefit plans?" (The Heartland Institute)
Texas Attorney General Pushing U.S. Supreme Court to Uphold State HMO Liability Law
Excerpt: "Attorney General Greg Abbott pressed the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday to uphold a Texas law allowing patients to sue health maintenance organizations if injuries result from denied coverage.... Abbott's friend of the court brief seeks to protect patients' rights by holding the HMOs accountable: ..." (The Houston Chronicle)
Bush: Look to Private Sector for Healthcare Solutions
Excerpt: "President Bush yesterday sharpened his disagreement with Democratic presidential candidates over how to curb health care costs and help the 43 million Americans who lack insurance, saying the solutions lie in the private sector, not in expanded public programs." (Washington Post)
Washington Times Coverage: Bush Decries National Health Care
Excerpt: "With health care emerging as one of the most important issues in the 2004 election, President Bush yesterday warned that nationalizing health care for all Americans is not the solution to rising insurance costs." (Washington Times)
Democrats Can't Shake the Pack on Health Care
Excerpt: "Medical matters are key with voters, but no candidate has been able to distinguish his plan from those of his rivals." (Los Angeles Times; one-time registration required)
Bookmark: the Foundation for Health Coverage Education
Excerpt: "[The California Healthcare Options Matrixis ] the only hand-held guide available outlining all of California's public and private health care options for individuals and groups. The Matrix™ features a complete overview of the options available for almost every demographic profile, as well as a quick-reference list of phone numbers and web sites. Use it to help your clients and friends find the coverage they need." (The Foundation for Health Coverage Education)
Bookmark: Attorney Blair Brininger's Long-Term Disability Claims 'Blawg'
Excerpt: "Court allows discovery in a case involving UNUM; If you want the briefs and responses send an email to me." (Brininger LTD)
'Been Working Here for 25 Years and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt'
Excerpt: "Employee-reward programs can be so unrewarding. The plaques, tchotchkes with logos, goofy contests and ham-handed presentation tend to backfire. It's not that they're all bad, but too often they seem like empty gestures supported by upper management, administered by a less-than-enthused middle management, and received by underwhelmed staffers.... In other words, it's the thoughtlessness that counts." (Wall Street Journal via SFGate.com)
FDA Is Big Factor Behind High U.S. Drug Costs, Economist Says
Excerpt: "The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, with its costly and time-consuming drug approval process, is a big reason Americans pay far more for medicine than consumers in the rest of the world, U.S. Nobel laureate Milton Friedman said on Tuesday." (Reuters via Medscape.com; one-time registration required)
HMOs Almost Always Reverse Denials for Emergency Room Care
Excerpt: "Denials of emergency room coverage are almost always reversed and claims are paid if the decisions are appealed, according to a new study of claims at two large California HMOs." (The Commercial Appeal)
Patient Cost-Sharing Innovations: Promises and Pitfalls
Excerpt: "Over the next decade, health plans and employers will refine patient cost sharing to encourage workers to seek more cost-effective care, according to a panel of market and health policy experts at a Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC) conference. Instead of using a single, large deductible, employers and health plans will likely vary patient cost sharing by choice of provider, site and type of service, so patients choosing less effective care options pay more." (Center for Studying Health System Change)
Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General
Insurers Pleased with Grassley COLI Bill
Press release. Excerpt: "The American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI), the Association for Advanced Life Underwriting (AALU) and the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA) support a discussion draft on corporate-owned life insurance recently released by the office of Sen. Charles Grassley, (R-Iowa), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee." (American Council of Life Insurers)
AFL-CIO: American Workers are Struggling More Than Ever
Excerpt: "American workers are struggling more than ever, he said, often being squeezed by employers for wage and benefit concessions. The solution? You guessed it. Unions." (The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania)
A High-Stakes Union Fight: Who Will Fold First?
Excerpt: "As businesspeople, unionists and politicians watch closely, Cintas, a proud company with a long history, and UNITE, heading up a resurgent union coalition, are locked in a ferocious battle. Many of their principles and tactics are old-fashioned. Others are as up-to-date as a smart bomb." (Workforce.com)
Welcome to new BenefitsLink advertiser S.C. International, Ltd.
Excerpt: "S.C. International, Ltd. is a national and international executive search firm specializing in and around the employee benefits marketplace. Our client firms are employee benefits consulting firms and corporations. Staffing needs range anywhere from entry level through midrange to top consulting and management. Disciplines include Actuarial, Defined Benefits, and Defined Contribution consulting, and administration and internal communications."
Newly Posted Events
Employers’ Conference on Controlling Health Care Costs
in California on February 1, 2004
presented by International Business Forum
401(k) Plan Scandals: Limit Sponsor Liability
Nationwide on February 24, 2004
presented by IOMA
Newly Posted Press Releases
Nearly Eight in Ten U.S. Employees Register for Benefits Online
(Hewitt Associates LLC)
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
Consulting Sales Professional - Retirement Consulting Services
for PFE Consultants, Inc. d/b/a The PFE Group
in MA
FSA/COBRA Manager
for Benergy Outsourcing Strategies
in NY
Handy Links:
- View Today's Active Message Threads
- Search BenefitsLink
- Using the Web for Employee Benefits Research
- Employee Benefits Library
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