| BenefitsLink Welfare Plans Newsletter |   |
February 4, 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.
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Bush Plans to Broaden Health Care: Proposal to Reach Millions Echoes Ideas Outlined in First Term
Excerpt: "The budget President Bush unveils next week will propose spending an extra $140 billion over 10 years to expand health coverage to millions more Americans, his top health adviser said yesterday. But many of the proposals are familiar ideas that never made it past the talking stage in Bush's first term." (The Washington Post; one-time registration required)
Actuarial Health Practice Note on Individual Major Medical Business, January 2005 (PDF)
16 pages. Excerpt: "This practice note was prepared by a work group organized by the Health Practice Financial Reporting Committee of the American Academy of Actuaries. The work group was charged with developing and updating a description of some of the current practices used by health actuaries in the United States for determining actuarial reserves and liabilities for individual accident and health insurance business." (American Academy of Actuaries)
State of the States 2005: Where the States Stand on Health Insurance Coverage Issues (PDF)
40 pages. Excerpt: "Despite their challenges, states continued to foster debate on strategies to expand health insurance. Some struggled to maintain coverage while balancing their budgets and others were able to expand coverage for the first time in years. State of the States: Finding Alternate Routes, summarizes these efforts and where states stand today." (AcademyHealth)
Analysis of Final and Proposed HIPAA Portability Regulations (PDF)
7 pages. Excerpt: "Although the final regulations comprehensively address HIPAA's portability requirements, for the most part they only make minor changes or clarifications to the interim final regulations issued in 1997. Nonetheless, some review of plan provisions and procedures will be necessary to ensure compliance with the final rules. The final rules are applicable to plans on the first day of the plan year beginning on or after July 1, 2005." (Groom Law Group)
Measuring Provider Efficiency, Version 1.0, A Collaborative Multi-Stakeholder Effort
Excerpt: "The work contained in this White Paper reflects the efforts from health plans, employers, consultants, and providers to define a set of recommendations -- Best Practices -- that have the potential to improve the measurement of provider efficiency and the science behind it. While the paper focuses on efficiency, all the contributors acknowledge that measuring efficiency should be done in conjunction with measuring effectiveness of care, so that consumers, purchasers and payers can ...." (The Commonwealth Fund)
State of Florida Says Healthier Lifestyle Should Mean Cheaper Health Insurance
Excerpt: "Companies should be rewarded with health insurance rebates if their workers do things that could keep them healthy, such as losing weight or quitting smoking, state official say. A new Florida law that went into effect last year and was finalized in state rules this week is considered by some a unique way to reduce health care costs - by giving employers incentives to push their work force to get and stay healthy." (AP via The Miami Herald; one-time registration required)
Comments: Important Development in Pharmacy Benefit Manager Litigation
Excerpt: "For those of you interested in the litigation surrounding legislation of pharmacy benefit managers, you will want to read this opinion ... from a federal district court in Maine issued February 2, 2005, holding that Maine's Unfair Pres.cription Drug Practices Act (UPDPA), as amended, 22 M.R.S.A. § 2699 ('UPDPA') is not preempted by ERISA." (Attorney B. Janell Grenier via BenefitsBlog.com)
Q&A with Benefits Attorney Mark Kenney, Advisor to Leading Consumer-Directed Health Plan Provider
Excerpt: "[W]e designed the tax argument as to why these accounts shouldn't be subject to the use-it-or-lose-it rule, and we also defended that argument in Washington. I flew out there with a couple Definity representatives, and we had a meeting with members of the Treasury Department ... [A] few of these Treasury attorneys that didn't like what we were doing and there were a few that really liked it, and one fellow kept pointing at me and saying, 'You're in the hot seat now.'" (StarTribune.com)
Consumer-Directed Health Plans: CEOs' Perspectives on Success
Excerpt: "Top executives in the health care industry believe employers' growing use of consumer-directed health (CDH) plans and vastly improved medical information databases are the keys to containing costs and improving the quality of U.S. health care, according to CEOs addressing the second annual World Health Care Congress held in Washington, D.C., Jan. 30–Feb. 1." (Society for Human Resource Management)
Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General
Overview: USERRA Requirements for Employers
Excerpt: "On December 10, 2004, President Bush signed into law the Veterans Benefits Improvement Act of 2004. This legislation updates the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). We want you to be aware of how it may impact your organization and your employees who leave for military service." (Ice Miller)
Welcome to new BenefitsLink advertiser Center for Tax Law and Employee Benefits at The John Marshall
Excerpt: "The John Marshall Law School offers an opportunity for human resource professionals, actuaries and accountants to become conversant in the law and policy affecting employee benefits through its new M.S. in employee benefits law. The program begins in fall 2005." (BenefitsLink.com)
Newly Posted Events
Distributions, Rollovers and Transfers from Qualified Plans
Nationwide on March 10, 2005
presented by McKay Hochman Co., Inc.
Introduction to Defined Benefit Plans
Nationwide on March 3, 2005
presented by McKay Hochman Co., Inc.
Introduction to Retirement Plans
Nationwide on March 29, 2005
presented by McKay Hochman Co., Inc.
IRS Correction Programs
Nationwide on March 16, 2005
presented by McKay Hochman Co., Inc.
New Directions in Disease Management Initiatives
Nationwide on February 23, 2005
presented by Health Resources Online
Participant Loans eSeminar
Nationwide on February 15, 2005
presented by McKay Hochman Co., Inc.
Required Minimum Distribution Rules eSeminar
Nationwide on March 8, 2005
presented by McKay Hochman Co., Inc.
Safe Harbor 401(k) and SIMPLE Plans
Nationwide on February 22, 2005
presented by McKay Hochman Co., Inc.
Newly Posted Press Releases
Principal Financial Group is Looking for a Few Great Companies; Launches Nationwide Search for the Best in Employee Benefits
(Principal Financial Group)
Teachers' Retirement Board Formally Opposes Legislation to Replace the Current Pension System
(CalPERS (California Public Employees' Retirement System))
Towers Perrin Transforms PBM Industry With Rx Collaborative; New Business Model Puts Employers in Control, Promises Transparency
(Towers Perrin)
BenefitsXML Provides Innovative Data Exchange Service To OnlineBenefits - Collaboration Provides HR-XML Data Exchange for Employee Benefits Administration Service Providers
(BenefitsXML)
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
Corporate Benefits Administrator
for Western Massachusetts Employer
in MA
Benefits Service Mgr. Health & Welfare
for Hewitt Associates
in GA
Account Executive - Retirement Services
for Principal Financial Group
in MD
Handy Links:
- View Today's Active Message Threads
- Search BenefitsLink
- Using the Web for Employee Benefits Research (hypertext article)
- Employee Benefits Library
Copyright 2005 BenefitsLink.com, Inc.; except that you may reprint this newsletter in full (including this sentence) without obtaining our permission.
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