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| May 30, 2007 |
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Text of CMS Notice re National Plan and Provider Enumeration System Under HIPAA (PDF)
4 pages. Excerpt: "This notice establishes the data that are available from the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES). In addition, this notice addresses who may have access to the data or may receive data from the system, the processes for requesting and receiving data, and the conditions under which data may be disclosed." (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services)
Legislating Health Care Coverage Access
Excerpt: "Modern Healthcare is tracking the state and national proposals to expand access to health benefits for the uninsured and underinsured. This section on Modern Healthcare Online will be updated with each new proposal." (Modern Healthcare; free registration required)
How Can I Evaluate Health Reform Proposals?
Excerpt: "Many state legislatures and the U.S. Congress are working to expand public and private health insurance coverage to more people as the number of uninsured Americans continues to rise. Proposals range from giving tax incentives to employers to creating new public 'universal' insurance plans. And everyone in the country should be involved in this critical debate. Here's a list of questions to help you judge a health insurance proposal . . . ." (HealthCareCoach.com)
The Ongoing Conflict Between Protection of SSD Awards and Recoupment of LTD Benefits
Excerpt: "In this claim for benefits case, the defendant insurance carrier filed a counterclaim against the plaintiff seeking reimbursement of long term disability payments. The counterclaim pitted the carrier's claim for reimbursement under ERISA Section 501(a)(3) against the disability benefits claimant's defense based upon 42 U.S.C. Section 407(a) which provides . . . ." (Health Plan Law blog by Attorney Roy F. Harmon III)
At 100-Day Mark, Same-Sex Couples Call New Jersey Civil Union Law Unfair
Excerpt: "After the civil union law went into effect, 852 same-sex couples applied to form civil unions in New Jersey. In that same time period, a leading g.ay rights group said it's received complaints from 114 couples about how employers and insurers refused to recognize civil unions." (AP via Newsday)
Health Insurance Changes Affecting Out-of-Pocket Costs Urged in Massachusetts
Excerpt: "The Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority, which is setting policies for the insurance mandate, gave preliminary approval in March to minimum standards for coverage that meets the requirement. One provision would limit out-of-pocket expenses to $5,000 for an individual and $10,000 for a family. But insurers are not required to count copayments of $100 or less, or amounts paid for prescription drugs, or payments for services outside the health plan's network of doctors." (The Boston Globe via Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association)
Some Employers Paying for Physician House Calls for Employees
Excerpt: "Rather than have employees misuse emergency rooms for minor ailments, Microsoft and some other employers are beginning to contract with providers who can deliver health care to employees via the old-fashioned house call. Technology makes it easy to transport a doctor's tools of the trade, visits are unhurried, and the cost is far less than an ER visit." (Workforce Management; free registration required)
Opinion: Electronic Medical Records to Reduce Risk of Medical Errors, Expense of Missing Records
Excerpt: "[T]here is already a clear software standard, an open-source system that's low-cost, easy to use and readily available. It could be the key to the health care system we ought to have already. The program, WorldVistA, is based on the Veterans Affairs Department's electronic-records system, called VistA (short for Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture -- and yes, they beat Bill Gates to the name)." (The New York Times; free registration required)
Opinion: Without Cost Control, Universal Coverage Will Fail
Excerpt: "If health spending continues to rise, Massachusetts' health reform has no hope of long term success. Every year, costs rise far faster than inflation, making health insurance less affordable for individuals, and tempting employers to stop offering coverage altogether." (David Himmelstein via Physicians for a National Health Program)
Retiree Health Care Deal in Detroit? Automakers May Shift Responsibility Off to Union
Excerpt: "Right now, a growing burden of retiree healthcare costs is one of the biggest challenges facing Ford, General Motors, and a soon-to-be-independent Chrysler. . . . In this climate, a once-unthinkable idea is being seriously discussed: In effect, spin the healthcare problem off to the labor union. The automakers would each agree to pour billions of dollars into a trust fund to help provide for the retiree insurance." (The Christian Science Monitor)
Opinion: U.S. Health Care System 'Slowly Bankrupting Us,' NYT Opinion Piece States
Excerpt: "'Let's take a look at the health care news that's transpired' in the past four weeks, Atul Gawande, a general surgeon at Brigham and Women's Hospital and a staff writer at the New Yorker, writes in a New York Times opinion piece." (Kaiser Family Foundation)
Consumer Guides for Getting and Keeping Health Insurance Updated
Excerpt: "[The site] recently updated the Florida, Iowa, Nevada, and South Carolina guides." (healthinsuranceinfo.net)
Insurance Mandate at Heart of California Health Plan
Excerpt: "The Schwarzenegger plan requires everyone to buy insurance. Although that mandate hasn't received the same amount of attention generated by other parts of Schwarzenegger's proposal, it is a crucial component." (San Diego Union-Tribune via The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights)
Opinion: Barack Obama Gives Healthcare Idea a Second Life
Excerpt: "Sooner or later, the political argument about expanding access to healthcare always returns to the same intractable question: Who pays the bill? The healthcare proposal that Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama released Tuesday, though vague on many details, will sharpen that debate in illuminating ways." (Los Angeles Times via Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association)
California Health Care Advocates Investigate Long-Term Care Insurers' Claims-Handling Policies
Excerpt: "The House Energy and Commerce Committee last week sent letters to long-term care insurers Conseco and Penn Treaty American to request documents as part of an investigation into the business practices of such companies, the San Francisco Chronicle reports." (Kaiser Family Foundation)
Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General
Government Budget Deficits - At the Federal, State and Local Levels - Now Total $59 Trillion
Excerpt: "The budget numbers, compiled by USA Today, noted that much of the government shortfall comes from what are called 'unfunded liabilities' in pension and healthcare funds." (The Honolulu Advertiser)
What Working Retirees Need to Know About Taxes
Excerpt: "Working during retirement can bring financial, physical, and psychological benefits, say experts. It can also bring tax implications. Here's what you need to know if you are, or plan to be, a working retiree." (Townnews.com)
Newly Posted Events
401(k) Plan Governance - Webcast
Nationwide on June 4, 2007
presented by Pension Governance, LLC
Elements of State Health Reform: Value-Driven Health Care through Quality Improvement and Measurement - Webcast
Nationwide on May 31, 2007
presented by KaiserNetwork.org
Retirement, Deferred Compensation, and Welfare Plans for Tax Exempt and Governmental Employers
in District of Columbia on September 6, 2007
presented by ALI-ABA (American Law Institute-American Bar Association)
Retirement, Deferred Compensation, and Welfare Plans for Tax Exempt and Governmental Employers - Webcast
Nationwide on September 6, 2007
presented by ALI-ABA (American Law Institute-American Bar Association)
Summary Plan Descriptions (SPDs) for Health & Welfare Plans-- A Hands-On Guide to SPD Preparation and Delivery
Nationwide on June 28, 2007
presented by Employee Benefits Institute of America Inc. (EBIA)
Newly Posted Press Releases
Proposed Rule To Amend Premium Regulations
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC)
Trucker Huss Announces New Attorneys
Trucker Huss
Group Medical Costs Continue Sharp Increase
Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers
Companies May Lose Older Workers With Shortsighted Policies
Birkman
Sunny Skies and High Temperatures Have Employees Suffering from Seasonal Absence Syndrome
Kronos Incorporated
Lurie Receives Lifetime Employee Benefits Achievement Award
Wagner Law Group P.C.
Marcia S. Wagner Appointed to IRS Advisory Committee
Wagner Law Group P.C.
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
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Client Relationship Manager
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in TX
Benefit Consultants
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Benefits Administrator
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in IL
Health Care Consultant
for Deloitte Consulting
in NY
Senior Relationship Manager
for Fidelity Investments
in TX
Group Benefits Manager
for Publix Super Markets, Inc.
in FL
Account Executive, Group Benefits
for Lenox Advisors
in NY
Pension Analyst
for Milliman, Inc.
in TX
Pension Implementation Analyst
for Milliman, Inc.
in TX
Compliance Testing Consultant
for Diversified Investment Advisors
in NY
Benefits Analyst
for Vanguard
in PA
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