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May 16, 2007
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Plan Would Shift Retiree Health Care Costs from Detroit Automakers Into New Fund Run by UAW
Excerpt: "The plan is based on a so-called voluntary employee beneficiary association, or VEBA, such as Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. worked out with the steelworkers union." (Detroit Free Press)

Employer Requirements Under Massachusetts Health Reform
Excerpt: "Employers should be aware of the following new requirements under health care reform. Please note that these requirements are subject to revision as health care reform implementation continues and new regulations are developed. Assistance with all employer requirements is available at the Massachusetts Health Insurance Connector web-site: www.mass.gov/connector." (The Berkshire Eagle)

Cash Bonus Ranks as Popular Incentive for Wellness Program Participation
Excerpt: "The number of employers offering their workers an incentive to enroll in a company wellness program has climbed about 15% since 2003, with cash-based rewards the most popular enticement, a recent survey suggests." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)

U.S. Health Care System Deemed 'Dysfunctional'
Excerpt: "The U.S. health care system is 'a dysfunctional mess' and politicians who insist otherwise look ignorant, according to a medical journal essay by a prominent ethicist at the National Institutes of Health." (AP via The Washington Post; free registration required)

Connecticut's Experience with State Mental Health Parity Law Examined
Excerpt: "The Hartford Courant on Saturday examined Connecticut's mental health parity law as Congress considers legislation (HR 1424) sponsored by Reps. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) and Jim Ramstad (R-Minn.) that would require health insurers to provide equal insurance coverage levels for mental and physical illnesses . . . ." (Kaiser Family Foundation)

Comments on the Suggestion of Creating a Trend Test to Be Included in the Health RBC Formula (PDF)
3 pages. Excerpt: "Based on our discussions and the analysis conducted, we believe that creating a Health trend test would require extensive data definition, collection, and analysis. Furthermore, such an effort would demand a significant commitment of resources by both the NAIC and the Academy." (American Academy of Actuaries)

Third Circuit Explains and Applies 'Clear Notice' Rule in Statutory Penalties Case
Excerpt: "As the District Court noted, this court has yet to decide whether a written request must specifically name the precise documents being sought. . . . Other courts to have considered the issue have adopted a clear notice test." (Health Plan Law blog by Attorney Roy F. Harmon III)

Overview of Washington Domestic Partners Registry SB 5336, Effective Date: July 22, 2007
Excerpt: "SUMMARY: A new law that gives same-sex couples and some opposite-sex couples certain legal rights and protections under Washington law, mostly dealing with issues like hospital visitation, healthcare decision making, organ donation, illness, incapacity or death." (Perkins Coie LLP)

More Nursing Moms Get Lactation Programs at Work
Excerpt: "The number of employers with lactation programs has grown from 16% in 1999 to 23% in 2006, according to the Society for Human Resource Management. These include major employers such as S.C. Johnson, Ford Motor (F) and Ernst & Young." (USA TODAY)

Health Insurance and Other Benefits: A Primer
Excerpt: "Barbara Weltman, a lawyer and small-business specialist in Millwood, N.Y., [answers] questions on how business owners could make wiser choices on benefits." (The New York Times; free registration required)

Multinational Comparisons of Health Systems Data, 2006
Excerpt: "In this chartbook, we use data collected by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to compare the health care systems and performance in nine industrialized countries -- Australia, Can.ada, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States." (The Commonwealth Fund)

An International Update on the Comparative Performance of American Health Care
Excerpt: "The U.S. health system is the most expensive in the world, but comparative analyses consistently show the United States underperforms relative to other countries on most dimensions of performance. This report, which includes information from primary care physicians about their medical practices and views of their countries' health systems, confirms the patient survey findings discussed in previous editions . . . ." (The Commonwealth Fund)

Milliman Medical Index 2007 (PDF)
28 pages. Excerpt: "The Milliman Medical Index 2007 (MMI) measures average medical spending for a typical U.S. family of four covered by an employer-sponsored health insurance program. Unlike medical cost surveys that focus exclusively on employer cost increases, the MMI examines the total cost to deliver healthcare and how this cost is allocated between the employer and the employee." (Milliman)

Handling House Calls in a Managed Health Care World
Excerpt: "[A small company has] devised a way to charge for doctors' house calls [that] could encourage a return to the practice -- not just as a service for the rich, but as the most economical way for Medicare and private insurers to care for their frailest patients." (The New York Times; free registration required)

Opinion: Reform Health Care by Involving the Private Sector Even More
Excerpt: "[B]ecause market forces are largely absent in today's health-care system, costs are spiraling out of control. . . . Second, every American should be required to carry health insurance. . . [And] individuals must be able to purchase health care in the same tax-advantaged way as businesses do now." (The Washington Times)

Comments on BCBS Florida Proposal on Treatment of Medical Active Life Reserves in RBC (PDF)
5 pages. Excerpt: "In the current Health RBC formula, the treatment of medical insurance products (including Medicare Supplement and dental) in the H2 component does not vary based on whether or not the medical insurance products carry active life reserves (ALR). The same is true for the treatment of medical insurance products in the C2 component of the Life RBC formula." (American Academy of Actuaries)

Rhode Island Approves Low-Cost Wellness Health Benefit Plans for Small Businesses
Excerpt: "Rhode Island's Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner approved low-cost wellness health benefit plans (WHBP) to encourage small businesses to offer health care coverage to workers." (The AIS Report on Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans via AISHealth.com)

Sale of Chrysler Likely To Affect Health Benefits for Union Employees and Retirees
Excerpt: "Jonathan Steinmetz, an analyst for Morgan Stanley, added that the sale of Chrysler makes UAW more likely to agree to concessions on health benefits (AP/New York Times, 5/15)." (Kaiser Family Foundation)

Overview of the HSA Marketplace
Excerpt: "[The target page] is a spotlight of the latest health savings account (HSA) news." (Wolters Kluwer Law & Business)


Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General

New Accounting Standard Provides Greater Flexibility for Informally Funded Nonqualified Plans (PDF)
2 pages. Excerpt: "A new accounting standard, FAS 159 The Fair Value Option for Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities, provides an intriguing opportunity to sponsors wishing to informally fund their nonqualified retirement programs. For fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2007, companies have the option to account for certain financial instruments at fair value and report in earnings the unrealized gains and losses on securities for which the company has elected . . . ." (Buck Consultants)

Presentation: Final 409A Regulations: An Overview (PDF)
28 pages. (Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP)

GASB 45 Requires Gov'ts to Account for Expenses As Benefits Accrue for Current Employees
Excerpt: "For some, the downside numbers will be staggeringly high. Thus, if the government agencies that must comply with the standard don't figure out how to address their unfunded liabilities soon, they could lose their investors' confidence." (CFO.com)

The ERISA Industry Committee Chart on Employee Benefits and Compensation Regulatory Schedule (PDF)
16 pages. Excerpt: "[Following the Federal Register release of] semi-annual regulatory agendas for various government agencies, ERIC has prepared a detailed schedule to assist in monitoring releases on upcoming guidance concerning employee benefits. . . . ERIC's chart includes the Department of Treasury/Internal Revenue Service, Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, Department of Labor/Employee Benefits Security Administration, Social Security Administration, and Securities Exchange Commission." (The ERISA Industry Committee)

International Headlines: Developments in Benefits, Compensation, & HR Around the World, May 10, 2007
Excerpt: "This weekly compilation of stories from wire services, newspapers, and other sources is intended to keep Mercer employees and registered visitors to mercerHR.com informed of benefits, compensation, and HR developments around the world." (Mercer Human Resource Consulting LLC and Mercer Investment Consulting, Inc.; free registration required)


Newly Posted Events

401(k) Plan Workshop
Nationwide on May 18, 2007
presented by SunGard Relius

401(k) Plan Workshop
in Ohio on May 31, 2007
presented by SunGard Relius

401(k) Plan Workshop
in Virginia on May 31, 2007
presented by SunGard Relius

Form 5500 Workshop
in Virginia on May 30, 2007
presented by SunGard Relius

Form 5500 Workshop
in Ohio on May 30, 2007
presented by SunGard Relius

Fundamentals of 401(k) and Other Qualified Plans
in Texas on June 6, 2007
presented by SunGard Relius

Fundamentals of 401(k) and Other Qualified Plans
in Washington on June 13, 2007
presented by SunGard Relius

Fundamentals of 401(k) and Other Qualified Plans
in Georgia on June 13, 2007
presented by SunGard Relius

New DC-1 Webcourse from ASPPA- Corporate Registration Discounts Also Available
Nationwide on May 16, 2007
presented by ASPPA (American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries)

Pension Basics: Cash Balance Plans
Nationwide on May 22, 2007
presented by AccuDraft, Inc.


Newly Posted Press Releases

Towers Perrin Unveils First Truly PBM-Independent Formulary System at 2007 Rx Collaborative Annual Meeting
Towers Perrin

Milliman Says 2007 Medical Cost for 'American Family of Four' is $14,500; Annual Study Measures Change in Average Family Medical Spending Over a 5 Year Period
Milliman USA

Newkirk Announces Let's Talk Money Newsletter Acquisition
Newkirk Products, Inc.

ftwilliam.com Announces Document Updates To Include The New Massachusetts Cafeteria Plan Requirements
ftwilliam.com

Travis Software Offers Ways for Employers to Manage Rising Postal Rates
Travis Software Corp.

National Survey Finds Majority of Micro-Business Owners and Employees Unprepared for Retirement
National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE)

Corporate Chiefs, Public Policy Leaders Propose New Direction in Savings Policy: Aspen Institute, CEOs Unveil "Cradle to Grave" Approach to U.S. Savings Crisis
Aspen Institute


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