| BenefitsLink Welfare Plans Newsletter |   |
October 4, 2005
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The State of Health Care Quality 2005 -- Facts in Brief (PDF)
6 pages. Excerpt: "The good news: Overall, the quality of health care for many Americans continued to improve in 2004. For the sixth straight year, people who receive health benefits through health plans that measure and report performance data more often received appropriate preventive care and treatment for chronic illness. They were less likely than a year earlier to be prescribed unnecessary medications and more likely to express satisfaction with their health care." (National Committee for Quality Assurance)
Chartbook: A Need to Transform the U.S. Health Care System: Improving Access, Quality and Efficiency (PDF)
52 pages. Excerpt: "Each chartbook section further illustrates the need to improve coverage, quality, and efficiency. The charts presented paint a stark picture of a health system in need of reform. Clearly, moving the nation toward a high performance health system will require collaboration. That is why The Commonwealth Fund has formed the Commission on a High Performance Health System: to identify public and private strategies, policies, and practices that would lead to improvements ...." (The Commonwealth Fund)
EEOC Has Authority to Issue Retiree Medical ADEA Exemption, District Court Rules
Excerpt: "[O]n September 27, 2005 [the district court] ruled the EEOC can issue the [proposed Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) exemption for retiree medical plans that coordinate with Medicare]. But the exemption is still on hold because the district court decided to continue blocking the EEOC's final rule until the appeals process is completed." (Deloitte)
Employers Beware: Is Your EAP Licensed?
Excerpt: "Employers originally used Employee Assistance Programs to provide a safety net for employees with personal issues that may affect job performance. Today, EAPs are designed to offer not only counseling, but a wide range of supportive services that help employees balance the demands of home and personal life concerns, while remaining productive on the job." (Employee Benefit News)
Financial Literacy Education in the U.S. 2000-2005 -- A Study (PDF)
142 pages. Excerpt: "In our earlier study, we stated that workplace financial education is the most important arena for reaching the most people. Research showing that the rewards of employer-sponsored financial education are numerous for both employer and employee is accumulating." (AARP)
Florida Offers Health Savings Accounts for State Employees
Excerpt: "Gov. Jeb Bush ... launched a new health plan for state employees that features a consumer-driven health savings account. The launch of the Health Investor Health Plan coincided with the opening of annual enrollment for the state of Florida's Group Health Insurance Program, which covers more than 360,000 public employees, retirees and their dependents." (The Business Journal of Jacksonville via bizjournals.com; one-time registration required)
Employers Boost Workers' Financial Incentives for Disease Management
Excerpt: "More employers have increased the financial incentives used to entice workers to participate in wellness and disease management programs. .... Over the past two years, employee incentives have evolved from offering them gift cards and T-shirts to bigger cash incentives that affect contribution rates and deductibles, ...." (Employee Benefit News)
The Maine Health Management Coalition's P4P Pilot Teaches Global Lessons
Excerpt: "Despite the buzz, surprisingly few pay for performance efforts are up and running. The challenges facing such programs are enormous: How do you define and measure quality? Most pay for performance approaches are national, yet health care is typically local, so how do you customize the program? And perhaps the biggest stumbling block from the employer perspective is, in a world where benefit costs continue to escalate, why should they pay even more to hospitals ...?" (Employee Benefit News)
Relatively Few Pres.cription Drugs Drive Price Increases
Excerpt: "In a recent report to Congress, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) examines the change in retail prices and other pricing benchmarks for drugs frequently used by Medicare beneficiaries and other individuals with health insurance from 2000 through 2004. The GAO prepared the report in anticipation of the Jan. 1, 2006, effective date of the new Medicare Part D pres.cription drug benefit." (Spencer Benefits Reports)
Medicare Extra: A Comprehensive Benefit Option for Medicare Beneficiaries
13 pages. Excerpt: "The proposed Part E, Medicare Extra, outlined in this paper adds a comprehensive benefit option to Medicare, eliminating the need for beneficiaries to purchase a private drug plan and Medigap supplemental coverage. .... Beneficiaries now enrolled in Medigap plans would save money, as could employers by choosing a lower-cost alternative to current retiree health plans." (Health Affairs)
The Company and the Employees of Lincoln Plating Benefit from Their Strategic Wellness Program
Excerpt: "By weaving wellness into its strategic plan, Lincoln Plating reports health insurance costs at 50% less than the U.S. average, and a seven-to-one total return on its wellness investment." (Employee Benefit News)
Program Offers Health Insurance for Some Part-Time Workers
Excerpt: "Dozens of part-time workers at six large companies have begun to sign up for low-cost, limited health benefits in a new national program for uninsured employees. The HR Policy Association, a nonprofit organization of senior personnel executives, said enrollment was under way at units of General Electric, I.B.M., Sears, Avon Products, the computer-storage company EMC and the auto supplier Federal-Mogul." (The New York Times; one-time registration required)
Letters Respond to Kristof Opinion Piece in The New York Times on U.S. Health Reform
Excerpt: "The New York Times on Tuesday published two letters to the editor in response to an opinion piece by Nicholas Kristof calling for the U.S. to change its health care system. Kristof recommended, among other ideas, that all children be covered and that more emphasis be put on public health and prevention instead of curative medicine." (Kaiser Family Foundation)
Medicaid: Transfers of Assets by Elderly Individuals to Obtain Long-Term Care Coverage
52 pages. Excerpt: "GAO was asked to provide data on transfers of assets. GAO reviewed (1) the level of assets held and transferred by the elderly, (2) methods used to transfer assets that may result in penalties, (3) how states determined financial eligibility for Medicaid long-term care, and (4) guidance the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has provided states regarding the treatment of asset transfers. [Highlights are at http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d05968high.pdf.]" (U.S. Government Accountability Office)
Limited Menu: Less Can Be More When It Comes to Voluntary Benefits
Excerpt: "Employees continue to spend big on voluntary benefits, as several new reports show. And employers are adding more of these products to their benefit plans. But are employee-consumer dollars being spent wisely? And are employers making sure the voluntary products they offer contribute to the broader mission of the benefits package: recruitment, retention and development?" (Employee Benefit News)
Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General
Overview: Proposed Regs for Nonqualified Deferred Comp Plans under Code Section 409A - Part II (PDF)
8 pages. Excerpt: "This Bulletin addresses the treatment of stock options, stock appreciation rights (SARs) and other forms of equity based compensation under the proposed regulations issued by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on September 29, 2005, under Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986." (Sherman & Howard L.L.C.)
Overview: Proposed Regs for Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plans under Code Section 409A (PDF)
8 pages. Excerpt: "This benefits bulletin highlights the major aspects of the proposed regulations and how [they] will impact nonqualified deferred compensation plans this year. Specifically, [the following topics are covered]: 1) transition relief and revised deadlines ...; 2) guidance on elections to defer 2006 compensation; and 3) an overview of the insight these proposed regulations provide into good faith compliance with Code Section 409A." (Sherman & Howard L.L.C.)
FEI Letter to FASB on Proposed FSP FAS 123(R)-b (PDF)
2 pages. Excerpt: "The Committee on Corporate Reporting ... of Financial Executives International ... appreciates the opportunity to comment on the Financial Accounting Standards Board's ... Proposed FSP FAS 123(R)-b, Practical Exception to the Application of Grant Date as Defined in FASB Statement No. 123(R) ...." (Financial Executives International)
Simplifying the Delivery of Employee Benefits: OnlineBenefits Provides Communication Tools
Excerpt: "The module takes the labor away from the employer staff and guides employees through the enrollment process and helps eliminate the errors usually associated with paper enrollment, .... The program also gives employees access to decision tools to help them make appropriate choices. The employer can use the module to maintain a current database of employees and their choices, use the information from employee choices to analyze enrollments and create reports ...." (The Rough Notes Company)
Overview: Hurricane Disaster Aid Includes Urgent Compliance Relief
Excerpt: "As floodwaters recede in the areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina, it's becoming clear that payroll and human resource departments have also been hard hit. In the first weeks of September the U.S. Departments of the Treasury, Homeland Security and Labor announced significant regulatory relief for employers and workers in the affected counties. Since then, Congress has been working with great speed to approve broad-ranging tax relief and emergency healthcare aid." (Ceridian Corporation)
Overview: Legal Implications for Employers in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina (PDF)
3 pages. Excerpt: "In response to [Hurricane Katrina], the federal government has taken certain actions having legal implications for employers. There are both legislative and regulatory responses to this disaster. A summary of these actions as well as proposed actions [is outlined on the target page]: ...." (Winston & Strawn LLP)
Overview: Retirement & Welfare Plan Rules Relaxed for Hurricane-Affected Plans & Individuals (PDF)
4 pages. Excerpt: "As it relates to employee benefit plans, KETRA gives individuals affected by Hurricane Katrina easier access to retirement plan funds and provides relief with respect to certain healthcare-related coverage period issues. This LawFlash summarizes the provisions of KETRA, as well as relevant, ongoing administrative relief provided by the [IRS], the [DOL], and the [PBGC] for plans and participants affected by Hurricane Katrina and, most recently, Hurricane Rita." (Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP)
The Trucker Huss Benefits Report -- September 2005 (PDF)
7 pages. The newsletter includes articles titled: Benefits Relief Following Hurricane Disasters; Relative Value Information Required To Be Included In Certain QJSA Explanations As Early As November 3, 2005; and, Update: Discretionary Clauses In Disability Insurance Policies. (Trucker Huss)
Newly Posted Events
401(k) Plans
in Texas on November 29, 2005
presented by Employee Benefits Institute of America Inc. (EBIA)
AJCA: The Latest Guidance on Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Plans
in Ohio on October 14, 2005
presented by WEB (Worldwide Employee Benefits Network) Cleveland Chapter
Cafeteria Plans
in Texas on November 30, 2005
presented by Employee Benefits Institute of America Inc. (EBIA)
COBRA Compliance for Group Health Plans
in Texas on December 2, 2005
presented by Employee Benefits Institute of America Inc. (EBIA)
Creative Safe Harbor 401(k) Plan Design
Nationwide on October 18, 2005
presented by SunGard Corbel
ERISA Compliance for Health & Welfare Plans
in Texas on December 1, 2005
presented by Employee Benefits Institute of America Inc. (EBIA)
HIPAA Portability, Privacy & Security
in Texas on December 2, 2005
presented by Employee Benefits Institute of America Inc. (EBIA)
HSAs, HRAs, and Consumer-Driven Health Care
in Texas on December 1, 2005
presented by Employee Benefits Institute of America Inc. (EBIA)
Open Enrollment 2006: Compliance Challenges and What to Do About Them
Nationwide on September 21, 2005
presented by Employee Benefits Institute of America Inc. (EBIA)
Newly Posted Press Releases
401(k) Account Balances, Asset Allocation by the Numbers
(Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI))
Invesmart's RightPath Program Tops A Half Billion Dollars In Assets
(Invesmart, Inc.)
New IRS Posture On Executory SEPP Plan Errors
(William J. Stecker, CPA)
Get Ready for the Empowered Healthcare Consumer: Large US Employers Are Changing Benefit Plans to Control Costs and Improve Quality
(PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP)
UPS Opens New Logistics Facility to Serve Healthcare Industry
(UPS)
John Hancock Launches Fiduciary Standards Warranty for 401(K) Plans
(John Hancock Retirement Plan Services)
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
Retirement Plan Sales Executive
for Ceridian
in CA, IL, OR, TX, WA, WI
Vice President of Operations
for Associated Pension Consultants
in CA
Director, Pension Administrator
for CKS
in CA
Staff Benefits Analyst
for Altera Corporation
in CA
Attorney-Counsel; Retirement Plans Division
for Transamerica-The Winning Organization
in CA
Compliance Analyst
for Transamerica-The Winning Organization
in CA
HRO Legal Consultant
for Hewitt Associates
in FL, IL, TX
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