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February 25, 2005
Today's sponsor: Hay Group, Inc.
Free Hay Group Web Seminar on Medicare Part D Are you ready for the changes taking place later this year? Let Hay Group's actuarial consultants help you decide how best to take advantage of the Medicare Part D prescription drug program. Register today for a free 1-hour web seminar, which explains, in plain English, if your retiree plan qualifies for the federal subsidy, what your options are, and how much you can expect to save. Deadlines are rapidly approaching. For more information go to: http://www.haygroup.com/expertise/commitment/medicare_part_d.asp
(Please visit our sponsors. We try to make sure their products and services will be of interest to you. Thanks! --Editor)
Overview: The HIPAA Security Rule: Questions and Answers for Employer Group Health Plans
Excerpt: "[P]rivacy is only one part of a larger suite of 'administrative simplification' rules. Administrative simplification refers, of course, to the streamlining of the U.S. health care system with a focus in the adoption of uniform standards for the electronic storage and transmission of medical records. Set out in this Advisory, in question and answer format, is a primer for employers concerning their compliance with the HIPAA security rule." (Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo P.C.)
American Views on Pres.cription Drugs and the Pharmaceutical Industry
Excerpt: "This Featured Topic uses current and historical public opinion data from the Kaiser Family Foundation and other polling organizations to examine the public's attitudes towards pres.cription drugs and pharmaceutical companies." (Kaiser Family Foundation)
Insurance Incentives Might Help Smokers Quit, Study Says
Excerpt: "Health insurance that pays the full cost of smoking-cessation treatments can increase quit rates, compared to benefit plans that pick up only part of the tab or that offer no cessation benefits at all, according to a new review of studies." (Medical News Today)
Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General
Do Benefits Affect Turnover? It Depends on How They're Communicated
Excerpt: "Offering rich benefits won't be effective at reducing turnover if employers don't do a good job of communicating the value of the benefits, according to Watson Wyatt." (Workforce Management)
A.I.G.'s Lucrative and Unusual Ties to Affiliate Are Examined in Lawsuit Brought by Pension Fund
Excerpt: "The American International Group is a complex galaxy of insurance and investment units, some with financial workings only dimly visible. Now, one obscure body in that universe, C. V. Starr & Company Inc., is attracting scrutiny over its dealings with A.I.G. Starr, a private holding company owned by A.I.G.'s top executives and managers, sells specialized insurance policies with A.I.G.'s name on them. Its partners reap lucrative benefits from their Starr stakes." (The New York Times; one-time registration required)
Newly Posted Events
2005 PenServ Academy
Nationwide on May 3, 2005
presented by PenServ, Inc.
Last Minute HIPAA Security: The Eleventh Hour
Nationwide on March 3, 2005
presented by International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans
Web Seminar on Medicare Part D for Plan Sponsors
Nationwide on March 3, 2005
presented by Hay Group
Web Seminar on Medicare Part D for Plan Sponsors
Nationwide on March 8, 2005
presented by Hay Group
Web Seminar on Medicare Part D for Plan Sponsors
Nationwide on March 15, 2005
presented by Hay Group
Web Seminar on Medicare Part D for Plan Sponsors
Nationwide on March 23, 2005
presented by Hay Group
Newly Posted Press Releases
PBGC Seeks Comment On Proposed Rule Under ERISA Section 4062(e)
(Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC))
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont Chooses Newkirk Enrollment Publishing System
(Newkirk Products, Inc.)
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
Relius Administration Trainer
for SunGard Corbel
in FL
Defined Contribution Plan Administrator
for Industry leader in benefits administration and record keeping
in PA
Institutional Trust & Custody Relationship Manager
for U.S. Bank
in MN
Quality Assurance Analyst
for Pyramid Digital Solutions
in AL
Technical Product Support Specialist
for Pyramid Digital Solutions
in AL
Benefits Administrator
for IBEW Local 82 Employee Benefit Funds
in OH
Pension Education Consultant
for Diversified Investment Advisors
in AZ, CA, TX
Handy Links:
- View Today's Active Message Threads
- Search BenefitsLink
- Using the Web for Employee Benefits Research (hypertext article)
- Employee Benefits Library
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