| BenefitsLink Welfare Plans Newsletter |   |
August 11, 2006
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Overview: Pension Protection Act of 2006 -- Health and Medical Benefits Provisions
Excerpt: "The PPA contains various provisions that impact health and medical benefits. Here we review impacted areas including Section 420 transfers, bona fide association plans, contracts with a long-term care features and public safety officer plans." (CCA Strategies LLC)
U.S. Companies Offer More Practical Benefits, According to Survey
Excerpt: "Gone are the days when companies promised flashy cars and gourmet meals to attract and keep top employees. These days, practical tools for balancing work and life are the best reward, according to new research." (Reuters via The New York Times; one-time registration required)
Firms Shifting Legal Insurance Benefits to Counseling
Excerpt: "The percentage of businesses offering employees prepaid legal insurance has dropped marginally from 26 percent in 2002 to 24 percent last year, according to data from the Society for Human Resource Management. But while employers are shying away from prepaid legal services, they are offering workers an alternative: access to legal counseling and referrals to attorneys as part of simpler, less expensive assistance programs, legal benefits experts say." (Workforce Management; one-time registration required)
Health Care Value-Based Purchasing: Survey Finds Interest (PDF)
Pages 1-4 of 10 pages. Excerpt: "Respondents' comments at the end of the survey clearly indicated they recognized the complexity of the health care system and its delivery. Several stressed the need for measurement, transparency, and disclosure. But none suggested we should expect a 'perfect' solution for health care quality and cost containment." (Deloitte Development LLC)
The Number of Health Maintenance Organizations
Excerpt: "Updated data as of July 2005 on HMOs including the total number of HMOs operating in each state, total HMO enrollment, enrollment growth from July 2004 to July 2005, and enrollment penetration rates are available by state and region." (The Interstudy Competitive Edge via statehealthfacts.org)
Affordable Health Care Tops the List of Women's Economic Concerns
Excerpt: "The 'Ask a Working Woman' survey, conducted by the AFL-CIO, indicates health care costs, corporate accountability and retirement security are women's election-year priorities." (PLANSPONSOR.com; one-time registration required)
Average Single Premium per Enrolled Employee for Employer-Based Health Insurance, 2004
Excerpt: "Updated data on employer-based health insurance premiums from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality are available by state and region. These include the average annual cost for single coverage, family coverage, and employee-plus-one coverage for 2004. The 2004 premium contribution levels for both employees and employers are also available for all coverage types for all states and the nation." (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality via statehealthfacts.org)
Comments: Court Resolves Dispute Over Period of ERISA Benefits Owed
Excerpt: "The claimant . . . challenged the termination of his long-term disability claim. He had received benefits from his employer's disability plan, which was administered and insured by First Unum Life Ins. Co. After termination of his benefits, he sued the plan defendants, seeking retroactive and prospective disability benefits, pre-judgment interest, and attorney's fees." (ERISA on the web; posted by John Wood)
Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General
Paginated Table of Contents for H.R. 4 Prepared by ERIC (PDF)
6 pages. (The ERISA Industry Committee)
Comments: Medill on the Scope of Equitable Relief under ERISA Section 502(a)(3)
Excerpt: "This Article reviews the state of federal law concerning equitable remedies under Section 502(a)(3) of ERISA and developes a statutory and policy-based theory to address what is appropriate equitable relief for the six categories of defendants and related claims that are possible under Section 502(a)(3). [The post includes a link to the article as published on the Social Science Research Network: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=921587.]" (Workplace Prof Blog)
President Remains Eager to Cut Entitlement Spending
Excerpt: "The new Treasury secretary, former Goldman Sachs chief Henry M. Paulson Jr., has made it clear that a major reason he took the job is to tackle the rising cost of government health and Social Security spending, which he described last week as 'the biggest economic issue facing our country.'" (The Washington Post; one-time registration required)
Court Says USERRA Doesn't Preclude Workplace Arbitration
Excerpt: "A federal appellate court ruled employer arbitration policies may be used to settle employee complaints including potential violations of laws barring discrimination against military service members." (PLANSPONSOR.com; one-time registration required)
Newly Posted Events
Cross-Tested Plan Workshop - Design and Testing
in California on August 30, 2006
presented by SunGard Corbel
Cross-Tested Plan Workshop - Design and Testing
in Ohio on September 12, 2006
presented by SunGard Corbel
Cross-Tested Plan Workshop - Design and Testing
in Colorado on September 13, 2006
presented by SunGard Corbel
Cross-Tested Plan Workshop - Design and Testing
in Washington on September 13, 2006
presented by SunGard Corbel
Pension Protection Act of 2006 IRA Webinar Miniseries
Nationwide on August 15, 2006
presented by Convergent Retirement Plan Solutions, LLC
Pension Protection Act of 2006 Overview Webinar
Nationwide on August 16, 2006
presented by Convergent Retirement Plan Solutions, LLC
Pension Protection Act of 2006 Qualified Plans Webinar Miniseries
Nationwide on August 15, 2006
presented by Convergent Retirement Plan Solutions, LLC
Safe Harbor 401(k) Plans - Design and Administration
in California on August 31, 2006
presented by SunGard Corbel
The Pension Protection Act and What It Means To You
Nationwide on August 29, 2006
presented by SunGard Corbel
Newly Posted Press Releases
New Temporary Address for Certain Hand-Delivered Documents
(Internal Revenue Service (IRS))
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
401(k) Defined Contribution Administrator
for The Heritage Group LLC
in NY
Qualified Plan Administrator
for Well Established Third Party Administration Firm
in PA
Tele Sale Professionals (Inside Sale - Business to Business)
for Corporate Synergies Group, Inc.
in NJ
Defined Benefits Administrator
for Polycomp Administrative Services (Roseville)
in CA
Benefit Consultant (Sales Agent)
for Corporate Synergies Group, Inc.
in NJ
Licensing & Commission Analyst
for Corporate Synergies Group, Inc.
in NJ
Securities Compliance Analyst
for Great-West
in CO
Pension Plan Operations Manager
for Chicago Third Party Administration Firm
in IL
Retirement Plan Administrator
for Retirement Plan Services, Inc.
in NC
Pension Implementation Analyst (DB)
for Milliman, Inc.
in TX
Corporate Compensation Analyst
for Harrah's Entertainment
in NV
Relationship Manager - Retirement Services
for The Retirement Advantage, Inc.
in ANY STATE
Regional Retirement Sales
for The Retirement Advantage, Inc.
in AZ, CA, CO, FL, IA, IL, IN, MA, MN, MO, NY, TX
Manager, Investment Communications
for Calvert
in MD
Plan Administration Manager
for RSM McGladrey Retirement Resources
in IL
Compliance Specialist
for MassMutual Financial Group
in MA
Marketing Associate - Request For Proposal Coordinator
for CitiStreet
in NJ
Handy Links:
- View Today's Active Message Threads
- Using the Web for Employee Benefits Research (hypertext article)
- Employee Benefits Library
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