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December 16, 2005
Today's sponsor: The International Foundation's Introduction to HSAs and HRAs Online Course

(Click on company name or banner to learn more.)
Banner ad for The International Foundation's Introduction to HSAs and HRAs Online Course

Need a primer on HSAs and HRAs?

The International Foundation has introduced a new Health Savings Account (HSA) and Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) online course, available 24/7. Designed to provide a thorough overview of HSAs and HRAs as well as the pros and cons, it covers:
  • HSA eligibility, requirements, contributions and distributions
  • ERISA application
  • Integrating HSAs and HRAs with employer health plans
Visit http://www.ifebp.org/hsahra today!

(Please visit our sponsors. We try to make sure their products and services will be of interest to you. Thanks! --Editor)

Chart on Patients' Rights by State: External Review, 2004
Excerpt: "Independent/External Review: Measures that pertain to the independent review of adverse health benefit determinations appealed to a state authority or certified organization." (Kaiser Family Foundation)

Guide Helps Firms Improve Mental Health Benefits
Excerpt: "Given the high prevalence of depression, benefit managers may wish to scrutinize their company's mental health benefits. Help is available in a new guide from the National Business Group on Health." (BenefitNews Connect)

Chart on Patients' Rights by State: Health Plan Liability, 2004
Excerpt: "Health Plan Liability: Allows an enrollee to hold a health plan accountable for its treatment decisions as to maintain a civil action in the appropriate court of law against the plan." (Kaiser Family Foundation)

Ford Expands Health Care Cost-Shifting Effort to Salaried Employees
Excerpt: "Ford Motor Co. said it notified salaried employees Wednesday that they will have to shoulder more of the cost of their health care coverage. Current salaried workers will see their monthly premiums rise by 30% on average, depending on their health plan choice, ...." (Business Insurance)

Pharma.ceutical Cost Increases May Be Slowing
Excerpt: "Projected pharmacy-related cost increases for 2006 are in the neighborhood of 11.8 percent, a far cry from the record levels of 18.3 percent that companies experienced three years ago." (Workforce Management; one-time registration required)

Employers Seek Pandemic Prognosis
Excerpt: "A strong majority of employers provide employees with access to shots for standard influenza, but fret over a potential outbreak of the more virulent avian strain, according to a survey by the Disability Management Employer Coalition." (BenefitNews Connect)

Opinion: Interpreting Surveys -- A Response to the Commonwealth Fund/EBRI Survey on CDHC Plans
Excerpt: "Critics have taken another hit at consumer-directed health care with a new survey by The Commonwealth Fund and the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). The survey reports that 'individuals with more comprehensive health insurance were more satisfied with their health plan than individuals in high deductible plans' and that people with consumer-directed plans spent more out of pocket and were more likely to forgo care. Let's take them in order: ...." (Galen Institute)

Many University Employees Still Favor Old-School Health Plans
Excerpt: "Several universities that offered a consumer-directed health (CDH) plan during this fall's open-enrollment period report limited takeup. The low enrollment, however, isn't surprising. Most universities contacted by ICDC say their account-based plans were offered alongside 'generous' traditional options." (INSIDE CONSUMER-DIRECTED CARE via AISHealth.com)

Fixing the Health Care Status Quo with Innovation
Excerpt: "A gifted motivational speaker can turn a long day of speeches and PowerPoint displays into an entertaining learning experience. That describes the keynote speaker at the 11th Re-Shaping Health Care Conference in late September. Using the provocative theme 'Rocking the Status Quo,' John W. Kenagy gave a big dose of business advice to his audience of health care providers." (San Diego Daily Transcript via BlueCross BlueShield Association)

Offering Health Insurance Coverage -- The Employers' Last Stand?
Excerpt: "For almost 70 years, the foundation of the American healthcare system has been the employer-based model. Thanks to bursts of double-digit annual premium increases, that foundation is crumbling with age. In exchange for forgoing wage increases during World War II, the Greatest Generation spent most of their careers with free health insurance. Employers have probably regretted it ever since, ...." (HealthLeaders)

HSA Expansion Bill Introduced in the House
Excerpt: "A bill to ease up on some of the requirements governing health savings accounts (HSAs) has been introduced in the US House." (PLANSPONSOR.com; one-time registration required)


Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General

Overview: IRS Election to Defer Section 409A Reporting Requirements (PDF)
3 pages. Excerpt: "On December 8, the Internal Revenue Service issued Notice 2005-94 to provide a temporary reprieve from the reporting requirements for nonqualified deferred compensation that were enacted in the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 ...." (Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP)

Q&A on Effect of New IRC Section 409A on Stock Options and Other Types of Equity Grants
Excerpt: "Congress directed the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Treasury Department to draft regulations providing much of the detail. In December 2004, the IRS released Notice 2005-1 to provide initial guidance and on September 29, 2005, the IRS issued proposed regulations under Section 409A. Companies may rely on this guidance until final rules are enacted." (Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo P.C.)

Revised Chapter: A Tiered Approach to Equity Design with Multiple Equity Compensation Vehicles (PDF)
18 pages. Excerpt: "This article updates the discussion of using multiple equity compensation vehicles, taking into account developments over the past several years, including the adoption of FAS 123(R). This article has been republished in the revised edition of Beyond Stock Options. (2006)" (National Center for Employee Ownership via Janich Law Group)


Newly Posted Events

2005 White House Conference on Aging
Nationwide on December 16, 2005
presented by Kaiser Family Foundation

The ESOP Solution for Private Companies
Nationwide on January 26, 2006
presented by Beyster Institute

U.S. Labor Department Sponsors New York Seminar On Compliance With Federal Employee Benefits Law
in New York on January 13, 2006
presented by U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration


Newly Posted Press Releases

Passage Of The Pension Protection Act Of 2005 Is A Major Step Forward For Employer Provided Defined Contribution Plans
(Profit Sharing/401(k) Council of America (PSCA))

Gilsbar, Inc. Expands Sales Force into Texas
(Gilsbar, Inc.)

ACLI Praises House Passage Of Pension Reform Legislation
(American Council of Life Insurers)

ftwilliam.com Announces The Availability Of 2005 DOL-Approved 5500 Forms.
(ftwilliam.com)

Minnesota Life Study Shows Benefits Brokers Want Good Service, Not Free Lunches
(Minnesota Life)


Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
Post a Help Wanted Ad

Senior Due Diligence Analyst
for Vanguard
in PA

Technical Compliance Analyst
for ICMA-RC
in DC

Financial Planner/Investment Specialist
for Diversified Investment Advisors
in MI




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