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July 21, 2004
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Bush Administration Wants to Bring Health Records Into Computer Age
Excerpt: "The Bush administration plans to announce today a long-term plan for modernizing the nation's health care system with information technology, bringing patient records and prescriptions out of the realm of ink and paper and into the computer age." (New York Times; one-time registration required)

2003 Segal State Health Benefit Survey (PDF)
2 pages; overview of survey results about dental benefits for state employees. (The Segal Company)

HMOs Fret Over Stomach-Stapling Surgery Costs
Excerpt: "As Medicare considers treating obesity as a disease, HMOs and employers are warily eyeing a potential surge in costs for a drastic but increasingly popular treatment -- stomach stapling surgery." (Reuters via Yahoo! News)

Markup of Reimportation Legislation Might Not Occur Until Fall, Sen. Gregg Says
Excerpt: "Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) on Tuesday for the second time postponed a markup session scheduled Wednesday for a bill (S 2493) that would allow the reimportation of prescription drugs because of a scheduling conflict with a White House bill signing ceremony, The Hill reports." (KaiserNetwork.org)

Medicare Drug Policy: 'Doughnut Holes' and Price Controls
Excerpt: "In 2003 citizens of Canada, the United Kingdom, and France paid an average of 34-59 percent of what Americans paid for a similar market basket of pharmaceuticals. If the Medicare program were to pay comparable prices for pharmaceuticals, it would be possible to eliminate the 'doughnut hole' in its prescription drug benefit and keep Medicare drug spending within the overall limits established by Congress." (Health Affairs)

Opinion: Medicare Drug Benefit Backfires on Republicans
Excerpt: "So far, the data all not only show Republicans have reaped no political benefit from the Medicare expansion but are losing support because of it. Ironically, those who will benefit directly from the new drug subsidies, the elderly, are most hostile." (Bruce Bartlett in the Washington Times)

Group Urges Universal Health Coverage
Excerpt: "Rapidly rising costs, soaring numbers of uninsured and an epidemic of poor care have caused a health care crisis that only sweeping reform will solve, an alliance of business, labor, religious and civic groups said Tuesday." (AP via Las Vegas Sun)

Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General

Chart of Proposed Deferred Compensation Changes (PDF)
8 pages; July 19, 2004. Excerpt: "Attached is a side-by-side comparison of the deferred compensation legislation being considered in Congress." (Dow Lohnes & Albertson PLLC)

Executive Compensation Audits - Planning Now to Avoid Trouble Later
Excerpt: "Discussed within this article is the major initiative recently undertaken by the IRS to examine the practices of employers with regard to their executive compensation, fringe benefits and perquisites. This initiative comes as a result of recent disclosures involving executives at companies such as Enron, WorldCom and others. This article appeared in the May 7, 2004 issue of the Tax Management Compensation Planning Journal." (Aon)

House Votes To Limit Stock Options Rule
Excerpt: "Voting across party lines, the House yesterday soundly approved a measure that would override accounting standards-setters and require companies to expense stock options only for their five top executives." (Washington Post; one-time registration required)

House Votes to Block Options Expensing; FASB Says Delay Possible
In his Employee Ownership Update for July 20, NCEO Executive Director Corey Rosen discusses the latest news on option expensing. The House has just passed H.R. 3574, 'The Stock Options Accounting Reform Act,' which would limit proposed options accounting reforms in several ways. At the same time, a member of FASB's board says that FASB will consider requests for a delay in the implementation of the new options accounting rules. (National Center for Employee Ownership)

Newly Posted Press Releases

Treasury and the IRS Finalize 'Deemed IRA' Rules
(Internal Revenue Service (IRS))

The Principal Financial Group Launches TRS to Help Fill Retirement Savings Gap
(Principal Financial Group)

ICC Plan Solutions Continues to Roll - New Features Added to Enrollment Kits
(Metrics Partners)

U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao Announces Settlements for Global Crossing Retirement Plans
(U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Public Affairs, Washington, D.C.)

Treasury Issues Guidance on the Application of Golden Parachute Rules in Bankruptcy
(U.S. Department of Treasury)

ADP Launches TPASelect Retirement Services Program; Partnership with Third Party Administrators Offers Local Support and Custom Retirement Plans to Small Businesses
(ADP Retirement Services)

Boston University School of Dental Medicine to Hold Elders’Oral Health Summit
(Boston University School of Dental Medicine)

Be Willing To Bend - Thirty Percent of Executives Say Flexible Schedules are Most Valued Employee Benefit
(Accountemps)
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
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Defined Benefit Calculation Specialists
for Constantin Control Associates
in IL, NC, NJ, NY, PA

Retirement Planning Specialist
for 1st Global, Inc.
in TX

Retirement Plan Case Manager
for TPA Firm
in NJ

Retirement Plan Sales Associate
for Manulife Financial
in IL

Employee Benefits Account Manager
for The Protector Group Insurance Agency, Inc.
in MA

Pension Administrator
for Chicago Consulting Actuaries
in IL

Compensation Manager
for APAC Customer Services, Inc.
in IL

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