May 8, 2006 Today's sponsor: The International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (Click on company name or banner to learn more.)
Judge Says New Hampshire Wrong to Deny Benefits Excerpt: "The state was wrong to deny health care benefits and bereavement leave to the families of two les.bian employees, a judge ruled. New Hampshire bars g.ays and les.bians from marrying, so requiring state employees to be married to get family benefits is discriminatory, Merrimack County Superior Court Judge Kathleen McGuire ruled ...." (AP via The Washington Post; one-time registration required) Law Provides No Remedy for Seeking Reimbursement of Overpaid Benefits Excerpt: "The 6th Circuit US Court of Appeals has agreed with a disability plan participant that the law did not provide the plan administrator with a remedy to obtain reimbursement for overpaid benefits." (PLANSPONSOR.com: one-time registration required) Comments on S. 1955, the Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization and Affordability Act of 2006 (PDF) 8 pages. Excerpt: "The stated purpose of S. 1955 is to amend [ERISA] and the Public Health Service Act to expand health care access and reduce costs by creating small business health plans (SBHPs) and modernizing the health insurance marketplace. While this letter focuses on the potential effect on the small-group market as defined by [HIPAA] (2 to 50 lives), we have tried to consider how it affects the individual market, without reference to specific states or their laws." (American Academy of Actuaries) Medical Insurance Co-Pays Capped for Some Tests in Connecticut Excerpt: "Connecticut legislators capped consumers' co-payments on medical imaging tests and required insurers to disclose more to doctors about the fees they'll be paid as this year's General Assembly session ended this week." (The Hartford Courant) Opinion: Competition and Federalism: The Right Remedy for Excessive Health Insurance Regulation Excerpt: "The Senate will soon consider the 'Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization and Affordability Act' (S. 1955), a proposal that is aimed at improving access to and reducing costs of health care coverage. .... A better policy, however, would promote open competition in the health care market. A robust national market can solve the problem of excessive state regulation and allow individuals and families to purchase more affordable health insurance across state lines." (The Heritage Foundation) Opinion: Thoughts on the Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization and Affordability Act Excerpt: "Ann Bartow (South Carolina and Feminist Law Professors) had a post the other day on the so-called Enzi bill that the Senate is considering to make health insurance more affordable for small businesses by allowing them to pool together to purchase health insurance .... As Ann ... points out, one of the lesser known parts of the bill is that under the proposed law, '[s]tates will no longer be able to mandate coverage of benefits, services, or categories of providers ....'" (Workplace Prof Blog) Opinion: Health Savings Accounts Are Defying Critics' Dire Expectations (PDF) 10 pages. Excerpt: "[HSAs] are being purchased by individuals with varying incomes, ages, and health statuses. In particular, HSAs have proven popular among individuals who previously lacked health insurance. This paper summarizes the basic structure of HSAs and reviews the most recent data about individuals who are purchasing the accounts." (U.S. Senate, Republican Policy Committee) Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General Congress Seeks to Change Civil War Law for Veterans Excerpt: "Soldiers who survived the Civil War often fared less well with dishonest lawyers who cheated them out of pension money. Congress is now trying to do something about the backlash, lasting 140 years, that has barred veterans from hiring attorneys to help them with benefit claims." (AP via The New York Times; one-time registration required) Newly Posted Events Managing your OPEBs under GASB 45 in California on May 24, 2006 presented by Nixon Peabody LLP Medicare Part D Nationwide on May 12, 2006 presented by West LegalEdcenter The Basics of 5500s in California on May 18, 2006 presented by No. Calif. Chapter of Certified Employee Benefits Specialists (ISCEBS) Newly Posted Press Releases PBGC Assumes Pension Plan Of Jernberg Industries Inc. (Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC)) IRS Updates Voluntary Correction Program For Retirement Plan Professionals (Internal Revenue Service (IRS)) Study Indicates Link Between Employee Turnover and Retirement Plan Participation Rates (Charles W. Cammack Associates, Inc. (CWCA)) Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings Defined Benefit Client Account Manager for New York Life Investment Management LLC in MA 401(k) Administrator for Creative Retirement Systems in OH Handy Links:
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