November 6, 2006 Today's sponsor: www.ftwilliam.com (Click on company name or banner to learn more.)
The Small Biz Health Care Headache and Government Mandated Plans Excerpt: "As an alternative to employer mandated systems, the NFIB and other groups support federal legislation known as the Small Business Health Plan (SBHP) to allow employers to band together across state lines to get a better deal on health insurance for their workers." (BusinessWeek.com) California Election Day Obligations of Employers (PDF) 2 pages. Excerpt: "With a November 7, 2006 statewide election approaching, employers are reminded that they should have posted a 'Time Off to Vote' notice in their California workplaces at least 10 days before the election. A copy of the 'Time Off to Vote' notice and a summary of employer obligations under the California Elections Code (the Code) can be downloaded from the California Secretary of State's website:http://www.ss.ca.gov/elections/Outreach/posters/toveng.pdf." (Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP) Facing a Tight Labor Market, Employers Dish Out the Perks Excerpt: "Like a growing number of companies, UCG has also taken a progressive approach to time off -- an ongoing perk that's becoming more common as companies try to accommodate desires for work-life balance. The company places no limit on vacation days. The policy is simple: if an employee's work is done, he or she can have the time off." (Inc.com via WorldNow and KTNV) Commentary: The Massachusetts Health Reform Mess Excerpt: "Administration officials are now telling Wall Street they expect the plan to be quite expensive. In an Aug. 17 filing to support general obligation bonds, officials project that the new plan will increase Massachusetts government health spending by $276.4 million in 2007. That's a $151 million boost over what the public was told the plan would cost as recently as April." (The Washington Times) Opinion: Health Care Crisis Countdown Excerpt: "The healthcare system in the United States is eroding. Costs are rising too fast. More and more people lack health insurance. Companies are dumping or shrinking employee health plans. Deductibles and copayments on medical services are rising. That's the widely agreed-upon scene. Yet chances are slim that Americans will go for a far less expensive 'single payer' health system, as in Can.ada, Britain, or Australia, anytime soon." (The Christian Science Monitor via bizjournals.com; one-time registration required) Some Working Americans Taking Gamble on Coverage Known As a Consumer-Directed Health Plan Excerpt: "Meant to save employers money -- possibly workers, too, if their gambles pay off -- the plans dangle the lure of lower monthly premiums than conventional coverage. The trade-off is a higher annual deductible, the money the member must pay to cover medical expenses before the insurance kicks in." (The New York Times; one-time registration required) Some U.S. Companies and Insurers Consider Sending Employees Abroad for Surgery Excerpt: "Asian hospitals in Thailand, India and Singapore have long catered to people wanting tummy tucks and face lifts, but many of these facilities are now gaining reputations for big-ticket procedures including heart surgery and back operations. . . . About 100 foreign hospitals have been approved by the international arm of the Chicago-based Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, which also accredits American hospitals." (AP via Human Resource Executive Online) Ford White-Collar Retirees Will Get Medicare and $1,800 Per Year Instead of Traditional Coverage Excerpt: "In exchanging health coverage for stipends, Ford is following the lead of DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group and other U.S. companies looking to gain control over soaring health costs by no longer directly covering medical care." (The Detroit News) New York State Adds Option in Health Insurance Excerpt: "Healthy NY, a state-subsidized health insurance program for working people, is coming out with a new high-deductible plan in 2007 designed to make the coverage more affordable." (The Post-Standard) Union Leader Declares Health Care Priority, Says Business and Labor Need to Reform Broken System Excerpt: "'The employer-based system of health coverage is over,' [Andy Stern] declared in a Wall Street Journal op-ed piece in July. This from a man who has spent much of his career trying to wring as much company-paid coverage as possible for workers." (San Francisco Chronicle) Opinion: Political Paralysis on Health Care about to End Excerpt: "Health care is an issue on the verge of making big waves in politics again, wrote RWJF President and CEO Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD, MBA, in a commentary published in Modern Healthcare [and presented on this target page]." (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation) Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General GASB Publishes 2006 - 2007 Edition of the Comprehensive Implementation Guide Excerpt: "This edition includes for the first time the freestanding Implementation Guide to Statement 44 on the Statistical Section and the Implementation Guide to Statements 43 and 45 on Other Postemployment Benefits (OPEB)." (PLANSPONSOR.com; one-time registration required) Accounting Group Releases Government Benefits Standard Excerpt: "A global accounting standards organization has released an exposure draft of a new mandate on dealing with short-term employee benefits, post-employment benefits, other long-term employee benefits and termination benefits." (PLANSPONSOR.com; one-time registration required) Executive Compensation Disclosure Memo Series -- Part 1 of 6 Parts (PDF) 4 pages. Excerpt: "As described by SEC Chairman Christopher Cox, these new rules are not designed to judge or limit the amount that companies and their compensation committees can pay to their executives. The new rules are designed, however, to require that all elements of compensation be fully disclosed in a manner that is clear, concise and understandable to shareholders." (Powell Goldstein LLP) Survey Says Company Size Matters in Executive Compensation Excerpt: "There is an easy answer for a chief executive office looking for a larger haul when it comes to total annual compensation: step up to a larger company." (PLANSPONSOR.com; one-time registration required) The Importance of Keeping Compensation Committee Minutes (PDF) 3 pages. Excerpt: "Although there is some disagreement as to whether the approach to minute-taking should be minimalist or comprehensive, considering the current focus on disclosure and accountability, it is clear that accurate and thorough minute-taking can provide valuable protection to the corporation and its compensation committee." (Harter Secrest & Emery LLP) Newly Posted Events Career Open House !!! in District of Columbia on November 10, 2006 presented by ICMA-RC Getting It Right – Know Your Fiduciary Responsibilities in Wisconsin on November 8, 2006 presented by U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) Newly Posted Press Releases Millstone Contractor Convicted Of Theft From Employees' Pension Fund (U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)) National Business Coalition on Health Conference Convenes Health Care Stakeholders to Advance Value Based Purchasing Agenda (National Business Coalition on Health) California’s Teachers’ Retirement Board Sets High Ethics Bar (California State Teachers' Retirement System (CalSTRS)) Next Generation Executive Medical Reimbursement: The First True Insured Product Now Available--Only from ArmadaCare (ArmadaCare) Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings 401(k) Administrators for Stratejic Management Corporation, Inc in NY AVP DC Operations and Participant Services for Hartford Life in CT Employee Benefits Associate/ Retirement Plan Administrator for Goodman & Company in VA Securities/Mortgage Accounting Coordinator for Great-West Corporate in CO Branch Manager (Insurance/TPA) for Zenith Administrators in MD Client Support Senior Manager for Buck Consultants, an ACS company in AZ Relationship Manager for Fidelity Investments in TX Client Relationship Administrator for Vanguard in PA 5500 Compliance Consultant for CCA Strategies LLC in IL Handy Links:
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