| BenefitsLink Welfare Plans Newsletter |   |
October 1, 2004
Today's sponsor: IQPC
(Click on company name or banner to learn more.)
Conference on Curbing Obesity through Workplace Wellness Programs Utilizing Wellness Programs to Decrease Costs, Increase Productivity, and Combat Obesity December 14 - 15th, 2004 * InterContinental Hotel * New Orleans, LA - Recognize how introducing wellness programs results in healthier employees and a healthier bottom line - Reduce abstenteeism and increase productivity through wellness programs including weight management/loss plans - Integrate wellness programs into health plans for your employees - Get lower health insurance rates for your company by helping employees lose weight and maintain a healthier lifestyle - Investigate the current and future obesity issues faced by the healthcare industry and hear best practices on how your organization can most cost effectively react
(Please visit our sponsors. We try to make sure their products and services will be of interest to you. Thanks! --Editor)
U.S. Lawmakers Try to Breathe New Life into Patients' Rights Bill
Excerpt: "Democrats in the U.S. House Thursday announced a last-ditch effort to pass a 'patients' bill of rights' before the 108th Congress wraps up work to go home to campaign.A similar bill to guarantee patients more power to fight denials of care made by health insurers narrowly failed to become law in 2001." (Reuters Health via Medscape)
Health Info Technology and the Electronic Health Record: Implications for Health Organizations
Excerpt: "The US government has established a vision of interoperable electronic health records within 10 years. Executives within the health industry have long acknowledged the inherent societal 'good' of fostering technology adoption and applying HIT to the clinical environment through Electronic Health Records (EHRs), with the goals of improved patient safety and reduced medical errors; and lower administrative and medical costs." (Capgemini U.S.; one-time registration required)
Issue Brief: Limited Information Technology for Patient Care in Physician Offices
Excerpt: "Evidence of physicians' use of information technology (IT) to support patient care has been sketchy and anecdotal to date. However, new findings from the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC) show wide variation in information technology adoption across physician practices, particularly by physician practice size." (Center for Studying Health System Change)
Multiemployer Welfare Fund Could Not Pursue Action Seeking Reimbursement of Medical Costs
Excerpt: "ERISA did not authorize a multiemployer welfare plan to pursue an action seeking reimbursement of medical expenses from a third-party settlement received by a beneficiary. This was the ruling of the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Carpenters Health and Welfare Trust for Southern California v. Vonderharr (Nos. 02-57183, 03-55296, and 03-55312)." (Spencer Benefits Reports)
House Panel Adds Group Life Insurance Policies to Federal Insurance Backstop
Excerpt: "The House Financial Services Committee approved an extension of the 2002 Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) through 2007 that would add group life insurance to the types of policies that would be reinsured by the government in the event of terrorist attacks. The addition marked a win for industry and plan sponsor groups, which had tried to have group life included in the enacting legislation. Further action ... is unlikely as the legislative session winds down." (Mercer Human Resource Consulting)
Michael Moore Reportedly Is Preparing to Film a Critique of the Health Care Industry
Excerpt: "The latest buzz in the health-care industry has nothing to do with new drugs or medical treatments. It's all about moviemaker Michael Moore and where he's lurking these days. Some of the nation's biggest drug manufacturers and health insurance plans confirm they have issued warnings to their sales representatives and other employees in recent weeks, telling them to be on the lookout for the shaggy filmmaker .... And, under no circumstances, are they to talk to Moore." (Chicago Tribune; one-time registration required)
Analysis: Work Culture Can Impact Health Care Costs (PDF)
4 pages. Excerpt: "A study has found that differences in the way men and women are managed--combined with the differences in what they value most at work--puts both genders at risk for cardiovascular problems, depression, and a higher susceptibility to infectious diseases." (Benistar Executive Viewpoints)
Issue Brief: Health Savings Accounts: Issues and Implementation Decisions for States (PDF)
Excerpt: "Although HSAs were legislated through a federal initiative, the availability of qualifying high-deductible health coverage depends partly on states. As the primary regulators of health insurance, states can choose whether to allow insurance companies to sell high-deductible policies." (State Coverage Initiatives)
Experts Say Managed Care at the Crossroads -- Again
Excerpt: "As rising costs drive CEOs' collective blood pressure off the charts, a group of experts considers whether managed care has reached another watershed -- and whether the industry can reinvent itself yet again." (Managed Care Magazine)
Financing Drug Research: What Are the Issues? An Employer-Based Alternative to the Patent System
Excerpt: "This paper examines four alternatives to the patent system: 1) A proposal by Tim Hubbard and James Love for a mandatory employer-based research fee to be distributed through intermediaries to researchers (Love 2003)...." (Center for Economic and Policy Research)
Maine and Indian Tribe Look to Buy Canadian Drugs
Excerpt: "Maine yesterday became the latest state to try to find a way to import lower-cost pres.cription drugs from Canada, but the state added a twist with a proposal that would allow an American Indian tribe to sell the imported drugs." (The New York Times; one-time registration required)
Issue Brief: Association Health Plans Would End Small Business Health Insurance Disadvantage
Excerpt: "With the establishment of AHPs, small businesses would be included under ERISA regulations that pre-empt state mandates, allowing the small business to purchase health insurance that meets federal requirements. Currently, small employers have limited health plan alternatives, especially when presented with rate increases." (Ceridian Connection)
Presidential Scripts for Ailing Health Care System in Contingencies' September/October 2004 Edition (PDF)
8 pages. Excerpt: "Because making health insurance available and affordable is a challenge many actuaries face, Contingencies asked the candidates what they plan to do about reforming the health care system, reducing its exorbitant cost, and covering the uninsured. We also asked two actuaries active on the Academy's Health Practice Council to provide nonpartisan comments on the competing proposals." (American Academy of Actuaries)
Healthcare Issue Ranks Fourth in Importance for Presidential Election
Excerpt: "Despite persistent worries about its cost and availability, healthcare ranks only fourth in overall importance to Americans as they consider their vote for president in November, a new study concludes." (Medscape Medical News)
California HMOs Fall Short in Healthcare Survey by State
Excerpt: "None of California's biggest health maintenance organizations excels at meeting all of the needs of its members, according to a 'report card' released Thursday by the state's Office of the Patient Advocate." (Los Angeles Times; one-time registration required)
Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General
US Airways, Pilots Union Near Cost-Cutting Accord; Contract Would Reduce Pay by 17.5%
Excerpt: "US Airways and its pilots union are close to reaching a $300 million cost-cutting agreement, a key part of a restructuring plan that the airline says it needs to help it emerge from bankrup.tcy." (The Washington Post; one-time registration required)
G.ay Advocates Praise Firms: Summit Finds More Partner Benefits Available Now
Excerpt: "Corporations' moves to extend domestic-partner benefits were widely praised Thursday at a national meeting of g.ay and les.bian advocates. The 14th-annual Out & Equal Workplace Summit is being held through Saturday at the Wyndham Buttes Resort in Tempe. A sold-out crowd of 750 has signed up to hear about how federal controversies over same-sex marriage could affect workplace policies." (The Arizona Republic; registration required)
Same-Sex Marriage Amendment Defeated in House
Excerpt: "The House joined the Senate yesterday in refusing to approve a constitutional amendment to bar same-sex marriage, described by Republican supporters as a vital protection for traditional families but denounced by Democratic foes as a divisive pre-election ploy to inflame prejudice." (The Washington Post; one-time registration required)
Employee Benefits Offer Myriad Financial Advantages to the Employee
Excerpt: "While the type and range of employee benefits vary by company, even the smallest organizations may offer plans that can mean significant tax breaks and savings for workers. Familiarizing yourself with programs and taking full advantage of available options can help you lay the groundwork for a solid financial future." (Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards)
Newly Posted Press Releases
Employee Benefits Security Administration Releases Guidance on Missing Participants
(U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA))
IBM Pays Out $320 Million In Partial Settlement
(Pension Rights Center)
Assistant Secretary Ann L. Combs Calls For Reforms To Strengthen Workers’ Retirement Security
(U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Public Affairs, Washington, D.C.)
U. S. Labor Department Extends Annual Report Deadlines After Hurricane Ivan Hits Gulf Coast
(U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Public Affairs, Washington, D.C.)
Inaugural Issue of Patient Safety and Quality Healthcare (PSQH) Released
(Lionheart Publishing)
Two-Thirds of Middle Americans Do Not Have a Plan for “Paying Themselves” and Do Not Know What Their Monthly Budget Should be in Retirement, According to a Study Released by ING US Financial Services
(ING Group)
Movers and Shakers: Newly Posted Announcements of Promotions and New Personnel
(Post Yours!)
Celia McClelland (ABC Payroll)
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
Retirement Account Manager
for Charles W. Cammack Associates, Inc.
in NJ, NY
Plan Implementation Administrator
for Phase II Systems PARS Trust Administrator
in CA
Project Manager
for The Paragon Consulting Group, Inc.
in CA
Pension Plan Manager
for Dean Pension Consultants, a division of CH Dean & Associates, Inc.
in OH
Health & Welfare Specialist
for Long Island Employee Benefits Group, Ltd.
in NY
Comp/Benefits/HRIS Manager
for Blackbaud
in SC
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