| BenefitsLink Welfare Plans Newsletter |   |
September 21, 2004
Today's sponsor: IQPC
(Click on company name or banner to learn more.)
Conference on Healthcare Cost Containment Strategies for Employers Proven Strategies for Reducing your Healthcare Costs, Maintaining Healthy Employees and Sustaining a Competitive Benefits Package October 25 - 27th, 2004 * Chateau Sonesta Hotel * New Orleans, LA This must-attend event will provide you with real-time strategies and solutions in lowering your healthcare costs. Hear first-hand case studies on how to implement innovative techniques to ensure healthy employees while maintaining a competitive benefits package, and walk away with practical knowledge enabling your company to become a market leader in healthcare cost containment.
(Please visit our sponsors. We try to make sure their products and services will be of interest to you. Thanks! --Editor)
Choosing a New Health Plan Design? Differences Among HRAs, HSAs and FSAs: Beyond the Basics (PDF)
37 pages. Excerpt: "This...chart looks at how a number of laws apply to the three types of arrangements for reimbursing health expenses and how the differences impact the choice of the arrangement and plan design." (Haynes and Boone and T. David Cowart)
Overview: Health Information Technology Opportunities in an Evolving Compliance Environment
Excerpt: "Recent events have enhanced interest in the opportunities and challenges related to implementing electronic health information systems. .... The ... discussion surveys some of the principal areas of regulatory concern confronting health IT initiatives and suggests preliminary steps to move forward in a legally compliant manner." (Faegre & Benson)
DOL Denies Fast-Track OK for Whirlpool Benefits Captive for Retiree Health Care Funding
Excerpt: "An unusual retiree health care benefits funding arrangement proposed by major appliance manufacturer Whirlpool Corp. that would use its captive insurance company, a tax-free trust and commercial life insurance does not qualify for fast-track approval, the U.S. Department of Labor has ruled." (Jerry Geisel in Business Insurance)
Absence Management Strategies in the Public Sector (PDF)
4 pages. Excerpt: "[P]ublic sector employers may want to consider closely coordinating unscheduled absences and sick leave as well as the potential for combining all leave programs into 'universal leave' and adding a rewards program for attendance." (The Segal Company)
Loophole Lets Pharmacies Bill Government Health Programs Twice for Same Medicine
Excerpt: "A regulatory loophole is allowing some pharmacy companies to bill government health programs twice for the same drugs, according to whistleblower lawsuits challenging the payments." (AP via The New York Times; one-time registration required)
America's Obesity Epidemic: a Plan Sponsor's Primer
Excerpt: "Many health plan sponsors are now examining the significant cost challenges posed by the prevalence of overweight and obese participants in their plans. In this article, we will outline obesity's impact on health plan costs, the emergence of expensive surgical interventions, and some plan design options." (Aon Consulting)
Health Plan Audits: a Critical Component of an Effective Vendor Management Strategy (PDF)
4 pages. Excerpt: "Employers need to make sure their health plan vendors are up to the task of efficiently and accurately paying claims and meeting financial commitments.... Health plan audits ... help employers ... [i]dentify overpayments, and [i]dentify opportunities to improve plan design and health management." (The Segal Company)
Medicare Secondary Payer: Improvements Needed to Enhance Debt, GAO Says
32 pages. Excerpt: "Last year, employer-sponsored group health plans ... were responsible for most of the nearly $183 million in outstanding Medicare secondary payer (MSP) debt. MSP debts arise when Medicare inadvertently pays for services that are subsequently determined to be the financial responsibility of another. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services ... administers Medicare with the assistance of about 50 contractors that, as part of their duties, are required to recover MSP debt." (U.S. Government Accountability Office)
Overview for Employers with Taft-Hartley Plans: the Medicare Pres.cription Drug Benefit (PDF)
4 pages. Excerpt: "Milliman estimates that 15% of Medicare beneficiaries will have $250 or less in pres.cription drug coverage, 40% will have expenses that fall within the first tier of 75% coverage, 31% of will have pres.cription drug expenses that fall within the hole in coverage, and 14% will have expenses that qualify for catastrophic coverage." (Milliman)
GAO Urges Review of Medicare Outpatient Rate Setting
Excerpt: "The CMS should examine how it sets Medicare rates for outpatient care to determine if hospitals are adequately reimbursed for drugs, devices and other outpatient services, the Government Accountability Office said." (modernhealthcare.com)
Weighing the Risks in a Health Savings Account
Excerpt: "A Little-Noticed provision in the Medicare pres.cription drug law passed by Congress late last year is starting to shake up the group insurance market for small businesses. The provision created health savings accounts that allow people to set aside pretax income to pay medical bills. When linked to high-deductible insurance policies, the accounts, known as H.S.A.'s, can drastically lower an employer's costs of providing employee health benefits." (The New York Times; one-time registration required)
States Loathe to Lose Say Over Health Insurance Plans If Bush's Small Business Plan Implemented
Excerpt: "Strong objections are being voiced in the states to part of President Bush's pres.cription to make health insurance more affordable for small businesses. The principal worry is that states will lose the ability to regulate certain insurance plans and protect consumers." (Stateline.org)
Issue Brief: Bush Health Plan-- Consumer-Driven Health Care
Excerpt: "In the history of the U.S. presidential elections, there has never been a clearer contrast between the candidates with respect to health care policy. President Bush and Sen. Kerry have endorsed sharply different visions of how to reform the American health care system and both have put forth specific proposals to implement those visions." (John C. Goodman for National Center for Policy Analysis)
Working Paper: Supply or Demand: Why is the Market for Long-Term Care Insurance So Small?
Excerpt: "Long-term care represents one of the largest uninsured financial risks facing the elderly in the United States. Whether the small size of this market is driven primarily by supply side market imperfections or by limitations to demand, however, is unresolved, largely due to the paucity of data about the structure of the private market." (National Bureau of Economic Research)
Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General
Delta, Pilots Agree on Deal: If Union Members Give OK, Airline Will Get Right to Rehire Retirees
Excerpt: "Delta Air Lines and its pilots reached a deal Monday to prevent staffing problems stemming from a wave of early retirements, an issue the airline has said could force it into bankrup.tcy court at the end of this month. The tentative agreement --subject to ratification by rank-and-file pilots -- allows Delta to temporarily rehire pilots who retire after month's end to keep certain aircraft flying." (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution; one-time registration required)
Court Rules That Indiana Has Jurisdiction in Suit Against Florida Employer for Wrongful Termination (PDF)
9 pages. Excerpt: "Plaintiff Justin Tracy filed his action against Defendant Financial Insurance Management Corporation ('FIMC') alleging, among other things, violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act ('ADA') and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act ('ERISA')." (United States District Court, Southern District Of Indiana)
Washington Legislative Wrap Up for the 108th Congress (2003-2004) as of September 20, 2004 (PDF)
6 pages. Excerpt: "Federal Legislative and Regulatory Proposals of Interest to National Council on Teacher Retirement Members are current as of September 20, 2004; Federal Updates referenced in chart are available at http://www.nctr.org/federal/index.html." (National Council on Teacher Retirement)
Newly Posted Events
Earned Income — A Practical Approach
Nationwide on October 28, 2004
presented by SunGard Corbel
Newly Posted Press Releases
Standard Insurance Company Launches New Partnership Platform
(Standard Insurance Company)
ICC Plan Solutions Hits Milestone With 100th Enrollment Kit Customer
(Metrics Partners)
ADP Introduces Solo Retirement Plan for Owner-Only Businesses; Cost-Effective, Hassle-Free Solution for Small Business Owners Looking to Maximize Their Retirement Contributions
(ADP Retirement Services)
American Century Joins CPI Gold Partner Retirement Plan Platform
(CPI Qualified Plan Consultants, Inc.)
New 401(k) Cost Benchmarking Book Released
(HR Investment Consultants)
Movers and Shakers: Newly Posted Announcements of Promotions and New Personnel
(Post Yours!)
Matthew McPhail (Sentinel Benefits)
Bert Entwistle (Sentinel Benefits)
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
Senior DB or DC Tiered Plan Administrator
for The Pension Group, Inc.
in CA
Compliance Analyst
for Transamerica
in CA
Daily Valuation Team Leader
for Associates in Excellence
in CA
Merger & Acquisition Benefit/Compliance Analyst
for Swiss Re is a leading reinsurer company
in NY
Implementation and Processing Services Manager
for Ceridian
in FL
Client Account Manager
for New York Life Investment Management LLC
in NJ
Plan Administrator
for New York Life Investment Management LLC
in NJ
Defined Contribution Operations Manager
for New York Life Investment Management LLC
in NJ
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