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| June 7, 2007 |
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Overview: Third Circuit Clears Path for Retiree Health Plans to Coordinate with Medicare
Excerpt: "The Erie decision has cast a lingering shadow over retiree health plans for almost seven years. Although the AARP decision does not overturn Erie, it offers relief from the most direct and controversial of Erie's consequences. With the lifting of the injunction, the EEOC may now finalize the exemption that allows employers to coordinate retiree health coverage with Medicare." (Ballard Spahr)
New Study Shows Supplemental Employee Benefits are the Coming Trend
Excerpt: "The UnumProvident 2006 Buyers Study examines the purchasing patterns of more than 100,000 employers nationwide, shedding light on where the benefits market is headed and helping employers understand the trends that are shaping the benefits of the future." (National Association of Health Underwriters)
City of Kalamazoo Ends Same-Sex Benefits Pending Ruling
Excerpt: "The city of Kalamazoo will terminate health-care benefits to the same-sex partners of its employees effective June 30, following the Michigan Supreme Court's decision not to stay a lower court's ruling. However, the ban could be temporary." (Kalamazoo Gazette)
Selecting Best Managed Care Network: Comparing Discounts & Predicting Employee Satisfaction (PDF)
4 pages. Excerpt: "There are meaningful differences in the economic value of managed care networks in different geographic areas, and even within the same metropolitan areas. Being able to quantify the differences and seeing how your claims costs would be impacted under different networks is a logical initial step in selecting which carriers to consider." (Aon Consulting)
Overview of the Impact of the Massachusetts Health Care Reform Act on Employers (PDF)
3 pages. Excerpt: "At this time, pending any preemption challenge under ERISA, employers in Massachusetts -- even those employers who sponsor self-insured plans -- will have to take a number of affirmative steps to comply with the Act. This alert highlights the Act's new requirements for employers." (Dow Lohnes PLLC)
Substance Abuse Benefits: Still Limited After All These Years
Excerpt: "Using data from a special supplement to the 2006 Kaiser/HRET Employer Health Benefits Survey, this study examines the state of employer-sponsored insurance substance abuse benefits in 2006 and how benefits compare to coverage for medical-surgical services." (Health Affairs)
Massachusetts Agency OKs Minimum Required Health Coverage
Excerpt: "The board of directors of the Massachusetts agency charged with implementing key portions of the state's 2006 health care reform law . . . approved the minimum health care coverage required of state residents." (Business Insurance)
USA TODAY Scrutinizes 'Limited Medical Benefit Plans'
Excerpt: "Often called 'limited medical benefit plans,' the policies can cost far less than traditional insurance. But they cap what insurers will pay toward medical care, with the skimpiest plans covering as little as $1,000 a year. Some have daily caps, such as paying a few hundred dollars a day toward hospital coverage." (USA TODAY)
Overview: Proposed Clarifications/Modifications - Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Program Coverage
Excerpt: "With respect to the Part D retiree drug subsidy (RDS) for employers that provide prescription drug benefits to their retirees who do not enroll in Part D, the CMS proposes to replace the 90-day deadline from the beginning of the employer's plan year for employers' RDS applications with 'by a date specified by CMS in published guidance' to allow the CMS the discretion to specify an end-of-month deadline." (Wolters Kluwer Law & Business)
Overview: Looming Employer Deadlines for Massachusetts Health Care Reform Act (PDF)
5 pages. Excerpt: "While the Act has been changed twice since last year, and related regulations are proposed, revised, and sometimes withdrawn at a bewildering speed, there are a number of obligations that employers should be aware of and be prepared to react to over the remainder of 2007." (Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP)
Waiver Rules Eyed on Massachusetts Health Insurance Plan
Excerpt: "Less than a month before the deadline for all Massachusetts adults to have health insurance, it's still unclear who will be allowed to avoid the state requirement. State officials realized [June 5] that in their effort to exempt people who cannot afford insurance, they were about to give a pass to more than they intended." (The Boston Globe via Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association)
Towers Perrin U.S. Legislative Tracking Charts -- Health and Welfare -- Updated June 6, 2007 (PDF)
31 pages. Excerpt: "These charts summarize selected federal legislation that would affect employee benefit programs. The bills included on the charts are based on judgments regarding the prominence of the issue, the likelihood of enactment, and the influence of the sponsors." (Towers Perrin)
Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General
Compliance Checklist 2007 for Plans That Are Not Subject to ERISA (PDF)
13 pages. Excerpt: "The Checklist incorporates requirements for Governmental and Nonelecting Church Plans, Non-ERISA 403(b) Programs, 457 Plans, and Nonqualified Executive Benefit Plans, and provides information on the materials that you will need to file, filing due dates, and agencies to which the filings should be made." (Prudential Financial)
Early Dialogue May Get Retirees To Stick Around
Excerpt: "By the time companies initiate conversations with older workers about what they can do to get those employees to stay, it's often too late, said Bruce Monte, director of retirement plans at PepsiCo, during a presentation at the WorldatWork Total Rewards Conference this month in Orlando, Florida." (Workforce Management; free registration required)
Summary Plan Descriptions Written with the User in Mind (PDF)
4 pages. Excerpt: "In this article, we focus on organization and usability -- how information can be effectively organized so employees and HR professionals are able to easily find what they need, as well as accessibility -- determining the appropriate mix of electronic and paper formats to ensure users can get the information they need while employers continue to comply with applicable regulations." (Aon Consulting)
Building the Workplace of the Future - Aon Consulting's 2007 Benefits and Talent Survey (PDF)
4 pages. Excerpt: "In January 2007, Aon Consulting conducted a survey of 2,172 U.S. employers to examine their current benefit and talent strategies as well as their future plans to attract, retain, develop, and reward employees. The survey focused on four areas of critical concern -- health care, retirement, employee communication, and talent." (Aon Consulting)
Overview: IRS Change to 'Covered Employees' Subject to Code Section 162(m) Limitations
Excerpt: "On June 4, 2007, the Internal Revenue Service issued Notice 2007-49 addressing identification of 'covered employees' subject to the limit on deductible compensation imposed by section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code, and eliminating the uncertainty that had existed since the Securities and Exchange Commission amended its executive compensation disclosure rules on September 6, 2006." (Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner LLP)
Towers Perrin U.S. Legislative Tracking Charts -- Human Resources -- Updated June 6, 2007 (PDF)
8 pages. Excerpt: "These charts summarize selected federal legislation that would affect employee benefit programs. The bills included on the charts are based on judgments regarding the prominence of the issue, the likelihood of enactment, and the influence of the sponsors." (Towers Perrin)
Newly Posted Press Releases
Woburn, Mass., Employer is Ordered to Restore More Than $240,000 to Employee Benefit Plan, Settling U.S. Labor Department Lawsuit
U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)
Guardian Study Reveals Wellness/Benefits Disconnect
Guardian
New Program to Provide Employee Benefits Communications Strategies to Boost Recruitment, Retention and Benefits ROI
HRx Communications
Spending Too Much on Healthcare? Unique Employer-Designed Conference Can Help
Savvy Self-Funding Healthcare Conference & Expo
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
(Post a Job | View All Jobs)
401(k)/Defined Contribution Plan Administrator
for Vantage Financial Group Plan Services, Inc.
in OH
Retirement Sales Consultant
for Digital Retirement Solutions, Inc. (DRS)
in CO
Employee Benefits Consultant
for The Hartford Insurance
in CT
Retirement Plan Services Pension Consultant
for Merrill Lynch
in NJ
Compliance Specialist / Record Keeper
for Ingham Group, a premier full service Tier One TPA
in FL, SC
Pension Administrator for DC Plans
for Ingham Group, a premier full service Tier One TPA
in FL, SC
Client Services Specialist
for BenefitStreet, Inc.
in CA
Underwriter - Health & Welfare (small group)
for Aon
in FL
Retirement Plan Consultant
for The Retirement Advantage, Inc.
in WI
Internal DC Wholesale Leader
for Payden & Rygel
in CA
Handy Links:
- View Today's Active Message Threads
- Using the Web for Employee Benefits Research (hypertext article)
- Employee Benefits Library
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