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August 3, 2005
Today's sponsor: Financial Research Associates

(Click on company name or banner to learn more.)
Banner ad for Financial Research Associates

PHARMACY BENEFIT COST CONTROL STRATEGIES

September 26 - 27, 2005 * Hyatt Dulles * Washington D.C.
To register: 800-280-8440

Advanced Industry Symposium on Drug Utilization & Formulary Design

Immediate Impact Cost Control Strategies for Employers, Health Plans and Pharmacy Benefit Managers


(Please visit our sponsors. We try to make sure their products and services will be of interest to you. Thanks! --Editor)
Workers Blame Insurers for Rising Health Care Costs, According to Survey
Excerpt: "Most employees believe that insurers are more responsible for controlling rising health care costs than employers, according to a new survey from Great-West Healthcare. The survey of 2,000 workers with employer-sponsored health coverage shows workers hold insurers most responsible, with 62% saying insurers are extremely responsible, and 32% saying they are only somewhat responsible for controlling health care costs." (BenefitNews Connect)

Report Identifies Legal Barriers to the Use of Patient Information to Improve Health Care Quality (PDF)
67 pages. Excerpt: "This Policy Brief, Charting the Legal Environment of Health Information, is part of a project ... designed to assess the legal environment for health information systems. .... The first phase ... offers a broad exploration of the legal environment of health information systems, examining many longstanding issues as well as recent matters that have arisen as a result of the new information technology that enables these systems to share health information among many users." (The George Washington University and The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation)

The Pharmacy Chain CVS Offers Housing Benefits to Employees in D.C. with Freddie Mac Help
Excerpt: "With assistance from Freddie Mac, pharmacy chain CVS/pharmacy recently started offering its 1,000 employees in Washington, D.C., a homeownership program that includes special loans, down payment and closing cost assistance and financial education." (BenefitNews Connect)

Bills Require Longer Careers for North Carolina State Workers to Receive Retiree Health Benefits
Excerpt: Two bills in the General Assembly would do away with a perk of working for state government. Currently, North Carolina teachers and state employees can get free lifetime health insurance after just five years of service. If the bills pass, the benefit would require more service in order to be vested. And state employees are for it." (RALEIGH NEWS & OBSERVER via JournalNow.com)

Overview: New Enforcement Rule Describes Trio of Factors Used to Assess Fines under HIPAA
Excerpt: "[T]he new enforcement regulation will make it clearer to people whether a covered entity (CE) has violated HIPAA. The reason: For the first time, HHS defines a 'violation' and describes how enforcement agencies will determine how many violations occurred and what amount of fine to assess." (REPORT ON PATIENT PRIVACY via AISHealth.com)

Transcript: July 15, 2005, Briefing on Pay for Performance: Healthcare Quality Improvement (PDF)
64 pages. Excerpt: "[One question dealt with at the briefing was:] How can consumers of medical insurance be sure that the pay-for-performance incentives are rewarding physicians for improving their efficiency and quality of care in the name of improved medicine, and not in the name of decreased cost to the insurance company?" (kaisernetwork.org via Alliance for Health Reform)

Blues Plans and Providers Face Conflicts Over Reimbursement Rates in MCO Contracts
Excerpt: "Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans often have the largest provider networks of any insurer in their service area. In several markets, however, Blues plans are in the midst of contract disputes with health care providers over payment rates. These conflicts threaten to shrink some Blues' networks, while others already have seen providers leave the network. [The article was originally published in April 2005.]" (The AIS Report on Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans via AISHealth.com)

Poll Reported in Wall Street Journal Says Health Coverage Getting Worse for U.S. Adults
Excerpt: "A Wall Street Journal article said that a Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive survey found that more than four in 10 (43%) of US adults reported that their health insurance coverage has gotten worse in the last 24 to 36 months. Some 18% said their retirement benefits have deteriorated (48% said their retirement benefits stayed the same) while 14% said their salary income has dropped during that time period." (PLANSPONSOR.com: one-time registration required)

Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General

Hewitt Federal Legislation Quick Guide Updated as of August 2, 2005
Excerpt: "Hewitt's Federal Legislation Quick Guide provides short updates on federal legislation that is currently under active consideration by Congress or has recently been enacted into law regarding health and welfare benefit plans, retirement plans, and human resources and employment law." (Hewitt Associates)

The Employers Forum on Age Works for Change in the United Kingdom
Excerpt: "The Employers Forum on Age (EFA) is an independent network of leading employers who recognise the value of an age diverse workforce. The EFA sets the agenda for age and employment issues in the UK. In addition to supporting employers, the EFA influences Government, business and trade unions, and campaigns for real, practical change in issues such as flexible retirement and the forthcoming age discrimination legislation." (The Employers Forum on Age)

Temporary Help Agency Workers -- February 2005 Data
Excerpt: "In terms of occupation, temporary help agency workers were more likely than traditional workers to hold office and administrative support and production, transportation, and material moving jobs. Compared with traditional workers, temporary help agency workers were more frequently employed in the manufacturing and professional and business services industries." (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Newly Posted Events

ERISA Workshop
in Illinois on October 5, 2005
presented by SunGard Corbel

ERISA Workshop
in California on October 6, 2005
presented by SunGard Corbel

ERISA Workshop
in Illinois on October 6, 2005
presented by SunGard Corbel

ERISA Workshop
in New Jersey on October 6, 2005
presented by SunGard Corbel

ERISA Workshop
in Georgia on October 7, 2005
presented by SunGard Corbel

ERISA Workshop
in Massachusetts on October 7, 2005
presented by SunGard Corbel

ERISA Workshop
in Minnesota on October 7, 2005
presented by SunGard Corbel

ERISA Workshop
in Washington on October 7, 2005
presented by SunGard Corbel

FMLA Update 2005 Seminar
Nationwide on September 1, 2005
presented by HRTrainingCenter.com

Interactive COBRA Seminar
Nationwide on September 28, 2005
presented by HRTrainingCenter.com

Personnel Records: What to Keep, What to Toss
Nationwide on August 25, 2005
presented by HRTrainingCenter.com

Newly Posted Press Releases

Baby Boomers on the Brink of Retirement; Clark Consulting's Executive Retirement Report Examines Where Boomer Execs Invest
(Clark Consulting)

Aetna Debuts Newest Wellness Offering
(Aetna)

Aetna Is Early Adopter Of New Quality Standards
(Aetna)

New Workplace Options and RelyData Partnership Helps Identity Theft Victims Restore their Identities
(Workplace Options)

CPI Announces New Regional Manager for Southeastern United States
(CPI Qualified Plan Consultants, Inc.)

Team from Arnerich Massena joins Northwest Capital Management, Inc.
(Northwest Capital Management, Inc.)

Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
Post a Help Wanted Ad

Health and Welfare Benefits Manager
for Publix Super Markets, Inc.
in FL

Pension Account Technician
for Alerus Retirement Solutions
in MN

Benefits Manager
for Philips
in FL

DC Administrator
for Fairfield County, Connecticut Actuarial and Pension Consulting Firm
in CT

Paralegal - Retirement Plans
for Ward Rovell, Professional Association
in FL

Pension Administrator
for The Nolan Company
in KS, MO

Pension Administration Supervisor
for The Nolan Company
in KS, MO

Retirement Services Provider Manager
for Deloitte Consulting
in MN

Senior Plan Administrator/Consultant
for WESPAC
in CA



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