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May 14, 2004 - 8807 subscribers
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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)
Overview of HSAs Compared to HRAs and HSAs, in Table Format (PDF)
26 pages, dated May 13, 2004. Excerpt: "' More employee benefits articles by the firm are online at http://www.millerchevalier.com/library/detail.asp?id=10 (Miller & Chevalier Chartered)

House Approves Association Health Plan Legislation
Excerpt: "The House on Thursday voted 252-162 to approve a bill (HR 4281) that would alter health insurance regulations to allow small businesses to form association health plans across state lines, CQ Today reports." (KaiserNetwork.org)

AHIP Statement on Association Health Plan Legislation
Excerpt: "We agree that overlapping and duplicative state regulations raise health care costs and swell the ranks of the uninsured. However, we don't support carving out special preferences for an untested approach to health care coverage while health insurance plans that have a proven track record must comply with a bewildering and conflicting maze of regulations ..." (America's Health Insurance Plans)

Democrats Offer Own Healthcare Proposals
Excerpt: "Democrats in the U.S. House and Senate Wednesday marked 'Cover the Uninsured Week' by offering their own proposals and criticizing those of Republicans who control Congress." (Reuters via Medscape; one-time registration required)

Easy Way To Cut Costs of Drugs: Generics
Excerpt: "Relief from fast-rising pres.cription drug costs may be on the way. Accompanied by media hype, the federal government last week launched a Web site that allows consumers to search by ZIP code to compare the prices of virtually all pres.cription drugs at about 50,000 pharmacies nationwide." (USA Today)

Opinion: Medical Paper-pushers Resist Opportunity To Improve Care
Excerpt: "[W]hen medical care is involved, doctors and hospitals insist on treating patients the old-fashioned way: on paper. Currently, fewer than 10% of health care providers rely on fully computerized record-keeping. President Bush is trying to drag medicine into the 21st century." (USA Today)

Opinion: Gaming the Governmental Employees' Disability System in California
Excerpt: "[T]he real reason for Schwarzenegger's out-of-nowhere rise to the top spot in California politics was, as we all know, Gray Davis's pandering ineptitude. More of that ineptitude -- OK, stupidity -- was highlighted this week with the news that a growing number of retirees from the ranks of state workers with jobs in the state's safety network. That would be, among others, peace officers, firemen and the like." (Victorville (Calif.) Daily Press)

Minnesota Launches Pres.cription Drug Reimportation Program for State Employees, Dependents
Excerpt: "Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty (R) on Thursday announced a program that allows state employees and their dependents to obtain certain pres.cription drugs from Canada at no cost, a move that he said will save the state $1.4 million by the end of next year, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports." (KaiserNetwork.org)

Forging an Ideal HSA (PDF)
Excerpt: "There are unique transactional requirements associated with HSAs that make it difficult for retirement plan service providers to move into the HSA market space. Two somewhat unrealistic approaches have been suggested for medical claims process flows. There is a better way to implement an HSA that would add no delay to claim turnaround." (Mellon's Human Resources & Investor Solutions)

Cost of Health Care Regulation May Outweigh Social Benefits
Excerpt: "The cost of state and federal health care regulations on 'everything from professional liability to drug approvals' outweighs their social benefits, according to preliminary research Duke University economist Christopher Conover presented Thursday at a Joint Economic Committee hearing, CongressDaily reports." (KaiserNetwork.org)

Opinion: Who Really Cares For the Uninsured?
Excerpt: "As one who actually treats the uninsured (as opposed to merely talking about covering them), I have come to realize that health insurance should not cover routine medical care in the same way that car insurance does not cover oil changes or brake jobs. Such coverage costs too much, delegates power unnecessarily to distant bureaucrats, and causes delays that can only be described as inhumane." (Dr. Robert S. Berry, published by the Galen Institute)

Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General

Federal District Judge Denies Bid to Stop G.ay Marriages from Starting Monday in Massachusetts
Excerpt: "U.S. District Judge Joseph Tauro said the state's high court acted within its authority in interpreting the Massachusetts Constitution. The plaintiffs immediately announced they would take their case to the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals - and to the Supreme Court if necessary. The 1st Circuit agreed to review the case on an expedited basis." (AP via Washington Post; one-time registration required)

Opinion: FASB is Still Wrong about Stock Options
Excerpt: "Shortly before April Fool's Day, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued an exposure draft of a new accounting rule that, if approved, would require that all forms of share-based compensation be accounted as a cost in the period they are granted.... On this issue, the accounting gurus at FASB are wrong on all counts. Let me count the ways ..." (William A. Niskanen, published by the Cato Institute)

Opinion: Congress Puts Supplemental Retirement Plans Back on Track (PDF)
Excerpt: "The Senate Finance Committee, however, has recently taken action that helps companies to better attract and retain their best people, promote retirement savings, and increase shareholder value. It has reviewed and soundly beaten back an ill conceived proposal that would have impacted the use of corporate-owned life insurance (COLI)." (Michael P. Corry of The Todd Organization)

Newly Posted Events

Self-Funded Health Plan Roundtable
in Florida on August 18, 2004
presented by SunGard Corbel

Update on Recent HSA Guidance
Nationwide on June 3, 2004
presented by International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans
Newly Posted Press Releases

Eisner Retirement Solutions Selects BeneCom to Provide Employee Retirement Education
(BeneCom Associates, LLC)
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
Post a Help Wanted Ad

Pension Administrative Associate
for Priority Pension Services, Inc.
in CA

Operations Specialist
for Decimal, Inc. (www.theonline401k.com)
in CA

Tax Manager - Employee Benefits Tax Services
for Deloitte
in PA, VA

Tax Senior Employee Benefits Tax Services
for Deloitte
in PA

Partnership Associate
for Transamerica
in CA

Director of Service and Administration
for UnumProvident Corporation
in DC

Motivated Sales Representatives (3 positions open)
for Primark Benefits
in CA

Trust Officer
for City National Bank
in CA

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