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January 14, 2005
Today's sponsor: WorldatWork
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New WorldatWork publications added to the Bookstore WorldatWork, a not-for-profit professional association, is a leading publisher of compensation, benefits and total rewards information. With a portfolio of books, reports, survey briefs, booklets and online learning programs, WorldatWork creates, markets and distributes publications that are critical to improved organizational performance. WorldatWork has contributed to the education and development of business professionals worldwide since 1955.
(Please visit our sponsors. We try to make sure their products and services will be of interest to you. Thanks! --Editor)
Employer Response to Medicare Part D Pres.cription Drugs --2005 Survey by Deloitte Consulting (PDF)
4 pages. Excerpt: "Ninety percent of employers offering their retirees pres.cription drug coverage intend to continue offering some form of drug coverage after Medicare Part D drug coverage is available in 2006, according to a Deloitte Consulting LLP survey of employers. Of those, 55 percent have either decided on or are leaning toward continuing to provide pres.cription drug coverage for their retirees and receiving the 28 percent subsidy offered under Part D for those benefits." (Deloitte)
Highlights of Segal Survey Conducted at 2004 Benefits Management Forum & Expo (PDF)
2 pages. Excerpt: "During the 2004 Benefits Management Forum & Expo in Nashville, The Segal Company invited conference attendees to complete a survey that asked questions about managing the cost of pres.cription drug coverage, reducing unscheduled absence, and modifying health coverage in light of Medicare reform." (The Segal Group, Inc.)
January 5, 2005, Letter from Senators Enzi, Kennedy, Grassley and Baucus Regarding Health IT (PDF)
3 pages. Excerpt: "We hope that the Administration will continue to provide leadership and input to Congress in developing a comprehensive quality and health information technology agenda for 2006. An essential element in realizing this agenda is meaningful financial commitment to assisting health care providers in acquiring health information technology systems. We hear consistently that one of the greatest barriers to implementation of these systems is financing." (U.S. Senators Enzi, Kennedy, Grassley and Baucus via American Benefits Council)
More Research Needed on Alternative Therapies, IOM Report Finds
Excerpt: "More research is needed to show that alternative therapies such as acupuncture and herbal supplements work, and this may mean changing laws that protect the industry, a committee of experts said on Wednesday. Nearly a third of Americans use such therapies and it is increasingly important to standardize those treatments and show whether and how they work, the Institute of Medicine committee said." (Reuters via Medscape)
Comments on the 'Any Willing Provider' Legislative Battle in Arkansas
The blog reviews the events, with links, leading up to the introduction of this legislation. (Attorney B. Janell Grenier via BenefitsBlog.com)
Insurer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, Limits Obesity Surgery with New Guidelines
Excerpt: "Blue Cross tightened guidelines Nov. 30 for weight-loss surgery, requiring patients to prove through medical records at least a three-year history of serious obesity and a doctor-monitored weight-loss program in the six months before surgery. The state's largest insurer put approval for bariatric surgery on hold between Oct. 15 and the end of November. Many of the patients who were put on hold don't meet the new weight-loss requirement." (The Birmingham News)
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Campaigns Against Health Insurance Coverage Critics
Excerpt: "In the face of mounting criticism of its benefits practices, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and its chief executive officer today launched a nationwide campaign to bolster the company's reputation by offering the public what it calls the 'unfiltered truth' about the health care coverage it provides employees." (Business Insurance)
Survey Says Long-Term Care Cost More than $72,000 Per Year in 2004
Excerpt: "The annual cost of U.S. long term care averaged $72,240 in 2004. Genworth Financial Inc., Richmond, Va., has published that figure in its latest LTC market report. Genworth researchers came up with the overall average by coming up with the mean for care provided at home as well as care provided in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. The researchers are basing their statistics on a survey of about 6,000 providers." (National Underwriter)
Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General
Segal-NEEBC Survey of Massachusetts Employers' Benefits for Same-Gender Spouses of Employees (PDF)
pages. Excerpt: "In October and November 2004, Segal and the New England Employee Benefits Council (NEEBC) -- a non-profit professional organization of more than 1,500 New England benefits professionals -- conducted a survey of NEEBC members to determine how they are responding to a 2004 Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decision, which ruled that same-gender couples can legally marry in Massachusetts." (The Segal Group, Inc.)
Analysis: Income of the Elderly Population: 2003 (PDF)
Pages 9-14 of 16 page PDF. Excerpt: "The U.S. retirement income system -- including employment-based retirement plans, Social Security, individual savings, and postretirement employment -- can be assessed in part by examining the income of the current elderly population (age 65 and older). This article reviews the latest available data on the older population's income (from the U.S. Census Bureau's March 2004 Current Population Survey) and how it has changed over time, ...." (Employee Benefit Research Institute)
Frequently Asked Questions on Equity Compensation Plans Revised January 11, 2005, by NYSE (PDF)
16 pages. Excerpt: "[T]he NYSE posted updated FAQs regarding Section 303A.08, which requires shareholder approval for equity compensation plans." (NYSE via TheCorporateCounsel.net Blog)
Newly Posted Events
Central & Mountain States Benefits Conference
in Colorado on September 12, 2005
presented by ASPPA, IRS and WP&BC
COBRA for Beginners
Nationwide on September 30, 2004
presented by Employee Benefits Institute of America Inc. (EBIA)
DOL Speaks: The 2005 Employee Benefits Conference
in District of Columbia on April 25, 2005
presented by ASPPA & DOL
Great Lakes Benefits Conferences
in Illinois on May 5, 2005
presented by ASPPA & IRS
HIPAA Security in Plain English
Nationwide on October 28, 2004
presented by Employee Benefits Institute of America Inc. (EBIA)
January Brown Bag Meeting - Recent Guidance on Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Arrangements presented by Debbie F. Reiss of Frost Brown Todd LLC
in Ohio on January 25, 2005
presented by ASPPA Benefits Council of Greater Cincinnati
Los Angeles Benefits Conference
in California on January 27, 2005
presented by ASPPA & IRS
Making Sense of the Final 401(k) Regulations
Nationwide on January 19, 2005
presented by SunGard Corbel
Meeting Midway: ASPPA Summer Conference and Western Pension & Benefits Conference Annual Conference
in California on July 24, 2005
presented by ASPPA and WP&BC
Mid-Atlantic Area Benefits Conference
in Pennsylvania on May 23, 2005
presented by ASPPA & IRS
Multiple Employer 401(k) Plan Administration Webcast
Nationwide on December 15, 2004
presented by ASPPA (American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries)
Nonqualified Deferred Compensation -- Meat on the Bones
Nationwide on February 1, 2005
presented by SunGard Corbel
Passing Participant-Driven Expenses Through to the Participants
Nationwide on October 20, 2004
presented by ASPPA (American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries)
Safe Harbor Plans Under the Final 401(k) Regulations
Nationwide on January 25, 2005
presented by SunGard Corbel
The New HIPAA Portability Regulations
Nationwide on January 20, 2005
presented by Employee Benefits Institute of America Inc. (EBIA)
The Reality and Potential of Evidence-Based Medicine
Nationwide on January 14, 2005
presented by Kaiser Family Foundation
Newly Posted Press Releases
Are New Retirees Making Their Wealth Last? Report Finds Most Are on Track, Many Are Not
(Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI))
CPI Announces New Management Position for Enhanced Services to Broker Dealers and Wirehouses
(CPI Qualified Plan Consultants, Inc.)
United States Postal Service Chooses WageWorks to Provide Comprehensive Tax-Advantaged Commuter Program; Employees Gain Convenience and Significant Annual Savings
(WageWorks Inc.)
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
ERISA Litigation Associate
for Shook, Hardy & Bacon, LLP
in KS, MO
Retirement Marketing Coordinator
for J.J.B. Hilliard, W. L. Lyons, Inc.
in KY
Benefits Manager
for Toll Brothers, Inc.
in PA
Broker/Sales Associate
for MJM Global Services & Benefits, Inc.
in NJ
Individual Retirement Arrangements Business Manager
for Lehman Brothers
in NY
Handy Links:
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- Search BenefitsLink
- Using the Web for Employee Benefits Research (hypertext article)
- Employee Benefits Library
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