July 18, 2006 Today's sponsor: Health and Welfare Plan Management for Mid-Sized Employers (Click on company name or banner to learn more.)
Overview of the Massachusetts Health Care Reform Mandate (PDF) 3 pages. Excerpt: "Although this Alert focuses on the Massachusetts' universal health coverage requirements, [it also provides] a brief overview of health care reform initiatives in other states." (Aon Consulting) Opinion: Massachusetts Health Care Reform Falls Short Excerpt: "Massachusetts recently gained national prominence when a reform bill was signed into law. Unfortunately, the 'breakthrough' solution that has been trumpeted as reaching near universal coverage is a false promise." (Labor Notes via Physicians for a National Health Program) Federal Judge Approves Retiree Health Care Agreement between Ford and the UAW Excerpt: "U.S. District Court Judge Paul Borman late Thursday [July 13, 2006] approved an agreement between Ford Motor and the United Auto Workers that would require union retirees to pay monthly premiums and annual deductibles for health insurance, the Detroit Free Press reports (Shepardson, Detroit Free Press, 7/14)." (Kaiser Family Foundation) Opinion: Health Care Is Eyeing a Convergence that Could Transform the Industry Excerpt: "At close range, the high cost and poor quality in much of the healthcare industry is unsustainable, but optimism in some quarters comes from the idea that a combination of rising influences are headed for a meeting in the next few years." (HealthLeaders Magazine) Report: Health Care in the Express Lane -- The Emergence of Retail Clinics (PDF) 31 pages. Excerpt: "This report examines this innovation from a national and California perspective. It provides an overview of in-store clinics and converging trends in retail and health care, and explores the potential for these clinics to succeed as a viable business model." (California HealthCare Foundation) What Accounts for Differences in Use of Hospital Emergency Departments Across U.S. Communities? Excerpt: "This study examines the extent to which differences in populations and health system factors account for variations in ED use across U.S. communities." (Health Affairs) Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General Draft Abstract for EITF Issue No. 06-5: Accounting for Purchases of Life Insurance (PDF) 9 pages. Excerpt: "Life insurance policies are purchased by entities for a variety of purposes, including funding the cost of providing employee benefits and protecting against the loss of 'key persons.' These types of policies have generally been known as corporate-owned life insurance (COLI) or bank-owned life insurance (BOLI)." (Financial Accounting Standards Board) Overview: IRS Identifies Common Errors in Form 5500 Filing Excerpt: "After analyzing Form 5500 data, the IRS's Employee Plans Multiemployer Compliance Planning Group has determined that there are three common errors being made when multiemployer plan sponsors complete Form 5500. All three errors involve completion of Part 1 -- Annual Report Identification Information." (CCH Pension & Benefits) Overview: Employee Benefits Security Administration Release of Advance Copies of 2006 Form 5500 The target page provides a short review of the changes. (CCA Strategies LLC) Newly Posted Events Guns and Hoses 2006 Conference in Nevada on September 17, 2006 presented by Institute for International Research Labor Department Hosts Free Workshop to Help Michigan Employers Understand and Meet Private Sector Employee Benefits Law in Michigan on August 9, 2006 presented by U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) Newly Posted Press Releases Two Quarterly Interest Rates Set (Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC)) Disaster Relief Announcements (Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC)) Legal Assistant Today Declares Corporate Focus Will Change Your Professional Life (Two-Step Software, Inc.) NASD Foundation Study Examines What Makes Elderly Susceptible to Investment Fraud (NASD (National Association of Securities Dealers)) White Horse Advisors VP Selected to Lead Industry Panel (White Horse Advisors, LLC) Tips for Cutting Health Insurance Costs From the National Association for the Self-Employed (National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE)) Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings Senior Plan Administrator for WESPAC in CA Signing Bonus / Senior DC Plan Administrator for Berlin, Ramos & Company in ANY STATE Project Analyst 3 - Retirement Plan Services Product Management for U.S. Bank in MN Executive Compensation Consultant for Hewitt Associates in IL Daily 401k Plan Administrator for The Newport Group in NC Senior Pension Administrator/Consultant for Chambers Benefit Group, APC in NM Wanted: Employee Benefits Broker for Boutique Benefits Firm for New York Metro Area in NJ Defined Contribution 401(k) Specialist -- Administration and Conversions for American Pensions, Inc. in SC Sr. Defined Benefit Consultant and Administrator for WESPAC, a BenefitStreet company in CA ERISA Attorney for Schloss, a BenefitStreet company in NY Global Benefits Analyst for Towers Perrin in CT Handy Links:
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