| BenefitsLink Health & Welfare Plans Newsletter |   |
April 12, 2007
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Massachusetts Offers Details on Health Coverage
Excerpt: "The proposal sets a sliding scale of affordability standards in which, for example, a single person earning $40,001 a year would be expected to pay no more than 9 percent of income, or about $300 a month, for health insurance; a single person earning $25,000 a year would be expected to pay a much smaller percentage, about 3.3 percent of income, or $70 a month." (The New York Times; free registration required)
The California Proposal: Get Health Insurance or Pay Fine
Excerpt: "People who refuse to obtain health insurance could be tracked down by the state or a private contractor, enrolled in a plan and fined until they pay their premiums under one proposal Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration is considering as part of his vision for covering all Californians." (Los Angeles Times; free registration required)
Reminder Regarding HIPAA Privacy Notice (PDF)
Excerpt: "According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, this requirement may be satisfied in a number of ways, including: Providing a copy of the HIPAA Privacy Notice; Providing a reminder of the availability of the HIPAA Privacy Notice and information on how to obtain a copy; or Including in a plan-produced newsletter or other publication information about the availability of the HIPAA Privacy Notice and how to obtain a copy." (Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP)
Dependent Care Help Unknown to Many Federal Employee-Parents
Excerpt: "Child care is always at the forefront for working parents, and most government agencies have adopted policies to help parents balance the demands of work and home. But the agencies could do a better job telling their employees about child-care programs, according to the Government Accountability Office." (The Washington Post; free registration required)
PEO's 'Co-Employer Artifice' Rejected As 'Contrary To Reality'
Excerpt: "In this case a group of related 'professional employer organizations' ('PEO's') defended a claim for benefits on the grounds that the plan participant was not eligible for coverage under a policy it acquired as policyholder." (Health Plan Law blog by Attorney Roy F. Harmon III)
Diabetes Complications Swelling U.S. Health Costs
Excerpt: "Poorly managed type 2 diabetes costs the U.S. health system an extra $22.9 billion a year in direct medical costs to treat heart, eye, kidney and other serious health problems associated with the disease, diabetes groups reported . . . ." (Reuters via Medscape; free registration required)
Workers' Chronic Pain Costs U.S. Employers an Estimated a $100 Billion a Year
Excerpt: "[A] workplace-based solution is pain-management components in employer wellness programs -- something only 22 percent of the programs have, the pain foundation said." (Star Tribune; free registration required)
Opinion: Electronic Health Care Records and the Health Care Industry
Excerpt: "Opinion: While IT can't rebuild the U.S. health care industry from the ground up, there are many opportunities for improvement. Standardizing computer systems, improving medical databases, and secure electronic health care records are good places to start." (eWEEK)
Health Care Coverage in America: Understanding the Issues and Proposed Solutions
Excerpt: "This 24-page guide, updated for Cover the Uninsured Week 2007, provides a readable overview to how Americans get health coverage, why so many of us don't have coverage and what could be done to ease the problem. Includes many graphs, a glossary of health coverage terms and links to sources of additional information." (Alliance for Health Reform)
Working Paper: A Fatal Mis-Match: Employer-Centric Benefits in a Boundaryless Workplace
Excerpt: "In this article, Katherine V. W. Stone traces the origins of the uniquely American system of private, employer-centered welfare institutions and argues that the prevailing model must be replaced with an alternative that is both more portable and more affordable for the vast majority of workers." (Social Science Research Network)
Expanded-Coverage Initiatives Advance as Maine Ponders Reinventing Its Program
Excerpt: "Programs to extend coverage to the working uninsured are in the final startup stages in both Vermont and Tennessee, and program officials say they present interesting low-cost options for previously uninsured people. Private insurers that are participating express cautious optimism about the programs." (MANAGED CARE WEEK via AISHealth.com)
A Brief Review of Recent Benefits Legislation in the House
Excerpt: "from Spencer's Benefits Reports: Between March 9 and March 30, the following benefits-related bills were introduced in the House. Included are bills to increase fringe benefits (H.R. 1475) and expand mental health parity (H.R. 1424)." (Wolters Kluwer Law & Business)
Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General
Methods of Employer Benefit Plan Contribution Submission
Excerpt: "This article provides an overview of methods for collecting and processing employer contributions, with a focus on the information-processing and reporting aspects of collection." (International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans)
Overview: Section 409A Deferred Compensation Final Regulations
Excerpt: "The final regulations are almost 400 pages long, but generally follow the rules provided in the proposed regulations issued in September 2005. However, the final regulations do include some revisions and additional guidance in response to comments provided on the proposed regulations." (Poyner & Spruill LLP)
The Final 409A Regulations Arrive
Excerpt: "Today, Treasury and the IRS published nearly 400 pages of final regulations interpreting how Code Section 409A applies to 'nonqualified deferred compensation' programs and describing which arrangements are or are not subject to Section 409A." (Faegre & Benson LLP)
Overview: Final Regulations Under Section 409A on Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plans (PDF)
3 pages. (Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C.)
Newly Posted Events
25th Annual Creative Pension & Benefits Seminar
in Ohio on May 4, 2007
presented by Ohio State University Office of Continuing Education (CEd), The
Compensation - The Foundation
Nationwide on April 17, 2007
presented by SunGard Corbel
Eligibility Audits for Health Plans (Including Health FSAs and HRAs)--Protect Your Health Plans by Pruning the Ineligibles
Nationwide on March 22, 2007
presented by Employee Benefits Institute of America Inc. (EBIA)
Form W-4 Best Practices- Audio Conference
Nationwide on April 17, 2007
presented by HRTrainingCenter.com
Health Care Reconsidered: Options For Change - Webcast
Nationwide on April 13, 2007
presented by KaiserNetwork.org
Interactive FSA Seminar
Nationwide on April 18, 2007
presented by HRTrainingCenter.com
IRA Elements 2007--Essential Elements of Periodic Training - Advance
in Alabama on May 15, 2007
presented by Wolters Kluwer Financial Services
IRA Elements 2007--Essential Elements of Periodic Training - Advanced
in Texas on May 15, 2007
presented by Wolters Kluwer Financial Services
IRA Elements 2007--Essential Elements of Periodic Training - Advanced
in Idaho on May 15, 2007
presented by Wolters Kluwer Financial Services
IRA Elements 2007--Essential Elements of Periodic Training - Advanced
in Utah on May 16, 2007
presented by Wolters Kluwer Financial Services
IRA Elements 2007--Essential Elements of Periodic Training - Advanced
in Montana on May 17, 2007
presented by Wolters Kluwer Financial Services
IRA Elements 2007--Essential Elements of Periodic Training - Advanced
in Ohio on May 17, 2007
presented by Wolters Kluwer Financial Services
IRA Elements 2007--Essential Elements of Periodic Training - Advanced
in Florida on May 17, 2007
presented by Wolters Kluwer Financial Services
IRA Elements 2007--Essential Elements of Periodic Training - Advanced
in Texas on May 17, 2007
presented by Wolters Kluwer Financial Services
IRA Elements 2007--Essential Elements of Periodic Training - Beginner
in Ohio on May 15, 2007
presented by Wolters Kluwer Financial Services
IRA Elements 2007--Essential Elements of Periodic Training - Beginner
in Ohio on May 16, 2007
presented by Wolters Kluwer Financial Services
IRA Elements 2007--Essential Elements of Periodic Training - Beginner
in Alabama on May 16, 2007
presented by Wolters Kluwer Financial Services
IRA Elements 2007--Essential Elements of Periodic Training -Beginner
in Texas on May 16, 2007
presented by Wolters Kluwer Financial Services
National Coalition on Health Care Meeting Featuring Former Gov. Thompson - Webcast
Nationwide on April 13, 2007
presented by KaiserNetwork.org
The Final 415 Regulations: What You Need To Know Now
Nationwide on April 26, 2007
presented by SunGard Corbel
U.S. Department of Labor To Offer Free Health Law Seminar
in Idaho on May 1, 2007
presented by U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)
Newly Posted Press Releases
ASPPA Spring 2007 Proctored Examination Window -- Register today.
ASPPA (American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries)
PBGC Protects Pensions At Anchor Hocking
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC)
ExpertPlan Announces Appointment of George Sawn to its Board of Directors
ExpertPlan
Chief Financial Officers Rally Around Equity Focus for FAS 123R Compliance: Eases Stock Option Review by Auditors
Two-Step Software, Inc.
Council Encouraged By Improved Pension Funding, But Still Troubled By Demise Of Defined Benefit Plans
American Benefits Council
Most Workers Satisfied with Health Care Benefits, National Business Group on Health Survey Finds
National Business Group on Health
2007 Retirement Confidence Survey: Many Workers See, But Ignore, Retirement System Changes
Ameriprise Financial
Guardian Dental Plan Members Save More Than $220 Million in Rollover Benefit Dollars
Guardian
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
Retirement Plan Administrator
for PEN-CAL Administrators, Inc.
in CA
Benefits Analyst
for Genuine Parts Company
in GA
Retirement Plan Consultant
for Valley Forge Pension Management, Inc.
in PA
Pension Plan Administrator
for IPA Northeast, LLC
in NJ
Financial Education Consultant (Spanish/English Speaker)
for JPMorgan Retirement Plan Services
in KS, MO
Benefits Consultant/Benefits Consultant Sr.
for APS - Arizona Public Service
in AZ
Handy Links:
- View Today's Active Message Threads
- Using the Web for Employee Benefits Research (hypertext article)
- Employee Benefits Library
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