| BenefitsLink Welfare Plans Newsletter |   |
September 22, 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)
Uninsured Patients Often Face Big Markups for Hospital Stays
Excerpt: "How much does an overnight stay at a Virginia hospital cost? If Medicaid is paying, the answer is $6,000. If Paul Shipman is paying, it's $29,500." (Wall Street Journal via SFGate.com)
Lewin Group Presents an Independent Comparison of the Bush and Kerry Health Proposals
Excerpt: "The Lewin Group presented an independent comparative analysis of the proposed health plans of President George W. Bush and Senator John F. Kerry on September 21, 2004, at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. The Lewin analysis entitled, Bush and Kerry Health Care Proposals: Cost and Coverage Compared, centered on two key questions: …[coverage and cost]." (The Lewin Group)
Opinion: Bush and Kerry on Health Care Reform: Fiscal Responsibility and Expanded Coverage
Excerpt: "President George W. Bush and Sen. John Kerry face very different challenges in crafting a healthcare platform." (John Harkey, Ph. D., for HealthLeaders News)
Blues Health Plans Remain Under Fire in States for What Some Call `Excessive' Reserves
Excerpt: "It may seem more likely for health insurers to find themselves on the hot seat for inadequate reserves -- but Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in several states find themselves under fire for what some consumer groups, legislators and regulators are calling excessive reserve levels." (AISHealth.com)
Project to Collect & Publish HIPAA Data Requirements' Lists is Activated
Excerpt: "...the HIPAA Transactions Convergence Project has been formed to assist the health care industry in creating a common set of HIPAA transactions requirements. The goal of the HIPAA Transactions Convergence Project is to help payers and others to converge--or make more uniform--their unique data requirements for claims and related transactions." (Health Data Management)
Denial of LTD Benefits Proper Where Beneficiary Failed To Submit Proof of Her Claim
Excerpt: "An insurance company properly denied a beneficiary's claim for long term disability benefits where the beneficiary failed to submit proof of her claim despite repeated requests by the insurer. This was the ruling of the Tenth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Allison v. UNUM Life Insurance Company of America (No. 03-5052)." (Spencer Benefits Reports)
Working Mother Magazine's 2004 report of the 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers
The 19th annual report on family-friendly winners includes a chart that compares the benefits at all 100 companies. (Working Mother)
Companies Are Expanding Services for Working Mothers
Excerpt: "General Mills is among a host of companies that have expanded services for working mothers beyond just maternity leave and flexible hours, according to Working Mother magazine, which released its 19th annual list Tuesday of the 100 best companies for working mothers." (AP via The New York Times; one-time registration required)
'Investigational' Treatments See Cutbacks By Health Insurance Plans
Excerpt: "Health plans may not provide coverage for treatments considered 'investigational' or 'experimental.' But Mohit Ghose, a spokesman for America's Health Insurance Plans, a Washington-based trade association, said covered treatments 'are usually negotiated with employers, based on what an employer wants to have covered or not.'" (The Kansas City Star via The Foundation for Taxpayer & Consumer Rights)
A Consumer's Guide to Getting and Keeping Health Insurance in the District of Columbia (Updated)
Excerpt: "The Georgetown University Health Policy Institute has written A CONSUMER GUIDE FOR GETTING AND KEEPING HEALTH INSURANCE for each state and the District of Columbia – fifty-one in all. These Consumer Guides are available at this web site [http://www.healthinsuranceinfo.net/] and will be updated periodically as changes in federal and state policy warrant." (Georgetown University Health Policy Institute)
Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General
Discussion on the Application of the QDRO Rules to Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Arrangements
Transcript. Excerpt: "The topic centers on the application of the qualified domestic relations order (QDRO) rules to nonqualified deferred compensation arrangements (e.g., 'top-hat' plans), and the tax implications that result from the division and the transfer of a portion of a participant's nonqualified deferred compensation to a former spouse in connection with divorce." (BNA Tax Management)
US Airways Pilot Pay Would Be Cut 20% Under Newest Management Proposal
Excerpt: "US Airways pilots would take pay cuts totaling 19.5 percent and senior officers could lose job protections under a new proposal advanced by the cash-strapped company, which is now flying under bankrup.tcy protection." (AP via The New York Times; one-time registration required)
US Airways Tightens Salary Screws on Unions
Excerpt: "Bankrupt US Airways is seeking bigger employee givebacks in new concession proposals it is presenting to its four major unions. Labor leaders said the company will seek to impose the new terms on workers when it asks a federal judge to terminate labor contracts." (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
Overview of DOL's Draft USERRA Regulations
Excerpt: "The Department of Labor (DOL) announced that it has published draft regulations that interpret the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Act of 1994 (USERRA). The regulations are in Question and Answer format.' This blog notes the Health Plan Coverage and Pension plan benefit issues covered in the draft regulations. (Attorney B. Janell Grenier on BenefitsBlog.com)
DOL Proposes Rules to Clarify Job Protections for Reservists Under USERRA
Excerpt: "The Bush administration proposed new regulations yesterday aimed at clarifying employment protections for veterans and reservists returning from active duty." (AP via The Philadelphia Inquirer; one-time registration required)
Overview: Section 404 Compliance in the Annual Reports of Publicly Traded Companies
Excerpt: "Under Sarbanes-Oxley there are new requirements for including information on internal controls in a publicly traded company's annual report. The rules say management must be able to identify in these reports any control issues that exist." (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants)
Telecommuting Rises Among the Executive Ranks
Excerpt: "Telecommuting, once primarily the domain of lower-level and technical employees, increasingly is moving into the senior management ranks. The reasons driving the trend are diverse: Faster broadband Internet connections between home and office; the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, which made companies recognize the value of placing executives apart geographically to help reduce disruptions; and managers' increasing comfort with the idea of working remotely." (Wall Street Journal via SFGate.com)
Newly Posted Events
401(k) Plan Best Practices for Decision Makers
Nationwide on September 30, 2004
presented by PLANSPONSOR
401(k) Plans
in Washington on September 28, 2004
presented by Employee Benefits Institute of America Inc. (EBIA)
ERISA Update Seminar : “Hot” Pension Topics, Plan Design, Current Events and Mergers & Acquisitions
in Florida on November 12, 2004
presented by GrayRobinson, P.A.
Fiduciary Liability, The Line in the Sand - A Workbook Session to Create & Update Your Investment Policy Statement.
Nationwide on September 23, 2004
presented by PLANSPONSOR
How to Determine & Lower Your 401(k) Plan Fees
Nationwide on October 7, 2004
presented by PLANSPONSOR
PLANSPONSOR Pathfinder Demo - for Advisors
Nationwide on September 22, 2004
presented by PLANSPONSOR
PLANSPONSOR Pathfinder Demo - for Plan Sponsors
Nationwide on September 28, 2004
presented by PLANSPONSOR
Newly Posted Press Releases
McKay Hochman Cafeteria Plan Documents Now Available Online
(McKay Hochman Co., Inc.)
2004 Participant Notice
(Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC))
PBGC Promotes Premium E-Filing
(Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC))
IRS Grants Tax Relief for Hurricane Ivan Victims
(Internal Revenue Service (IRS))
ICI Testifies in Support of Improvements to Retirement Plan Disclosure
(Investment Company Institute)
ERISA Advisory Council to Hold September 2004 Meetings
(U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Public Affairs, Washington, D.C.)
Moms Go to the Office to Reduce Stress; Working Mother Names 2004 List of 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers; Trends Include Increased Attention To Health and Wellness Programs
(Working Mother Media)
DataDeed Now Offered As An Employee Benefit
(ad hoc America, Inc.)
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
Retirement Consultant
for Towers Perrin
in CT, DC, GA, MA, NC, NJ, NY, PA
Benefit Specialist
for ProView
in CA
Retirement Consulting Actuary
for Hand Benefits & Trust
in TX
Actuarial Assistant
for Hand Benefits & Trust
in TX
Enrolled Actuary
for Actuarial Consultants, Inc.
in CA
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