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| June 20, 2007 |
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Public Employers Denying Unmarried Couples Legal Benefits in Several States
Excerpt: "States that have banned g.ay marriage are beginning to revoke the benefits of domestic partners of public employees." (USA TODAY)
Audio: Unpaid Sick Leave Diminishing for Poor
Excerpt: "Half of working Americans don't receive a sick day. For low-wage workers, one out of every four workers doesn't get a sick day. Beth Shulman, labor consultant and author of The Betrayal of Work: How Low-Wage Jobs Fail 30 Million Americans, talks with Steve Inskeep about the issue." (Morning Edition via National Public Radio)
HIPAA Loophole Allows Pharmacies To Sell Patient Data, Sen. Charles Schumer Says
Excerpt: "A loophole in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act allows pharmacies to 'auction off' patient information -- such as their prescriptions, medical conditions, Social Security numbers and health insurance records -- 'to the highest bidder,' Sen. Charles Schumer said . . . ." (Kaiser Family Foundation)
Important Dates to Remember for Plan Administration
Excerpt: "The [target page] provides insurance agents/brokers, employers and benefits professionals a checklist of key upcoming dates and deadlines related to health benefits. This does not constitute all of the deadlines applicable to employers and some deadlines may be different based on variations in plan year or plan design." (infinisource)
Hospital State Law Claims Against Aetna HMO & PPO Plans Remanded to State Court
Excerpt: "The recent case, Memorial Hermann Hosp. System v. Aetna Health Inc., represents an interesting trend in provider reimbursement cases against ERISA plans. That a provider takes an assignment of benefits as a routine business practice does not necessarily limit the provider's remedies to those available under ERISA." (Health Plan Law blog by Attorney Roy F. Harmon III)
Study Finds Staggering Cost of Treating Diabetics
Excerpt: "One out of every eight U.S. federal health care dollars is spent treating people with diabetes, a study found, and advocates are calling for the creation of a government post to oversee coordination of spending on treatment and prevention among federal agencies." (Reuters Limited via MSNBC.com)
HHS Sec. Timelines/Key Activities to Transition to Private-Sector Health IT Entity Criticized
Excerpt: "Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, lambasted HHS Sec. Michael Leavitt's plan to privatize the American Health Information Community (AHIC) by January 2009." (AISHealth.com)
Testimony: Health Info Technology: Comprehensive Privacy Approach Needed for National Strategy
Testimony by Linda D. Koontz and Valerie C. Melvin, directors, information management issues, before the Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, on June 19, 2007. [Highlights are at http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d07988thigh.pdf.] (U.S. Government Accountability Office)
Analyst: Health Care Trust Fund May Fall Short for UAW Workers
Excerpt: "Rather than creating a trust fund to handle all of the future health care obligations for Detroit automakers' hourly UAW members, upcoming labor talks between the union and companies could result in a fund that picks up just a fraction of those costs, a leading industry analyst said . . . ." (Detroit Free Press)
Health Care Cost Trends in 2008 (PDF)
16 pages. Excerpt: "According to PwC's Health Research Institute, health insurance carriers anticipate medical costs to rise across all plan types as we look forward to 2008. However, the expected rate of increase is decelerating compared to prior year. The latest HRI report discusses the 2008 forecast and the factors influencing the forward-looking trends." (PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP)
Coming Soon: A Kaiser Web Site on Election News, Analysis and Events
Excerpt: "In the next few weeks, Kaiser will be launching a new website that will include analysis of policy issues, regular public opinion surveys, daily news updates, video of speeches and debates from the campaign trail, original interviews, and resources for journalists covering the election." (Kaiser Family Foundation)
Overview: Third Circuit Clears the Way for EEOC to Issue ADEA Exemption for Retiree Medical Plans
Excerpt: "The decision could mark the end of a dispute the [Third Circuit] started almost seven years ago, depending on whether the AARP appeals to the Supreme Court. . . . In addition to upholding the district court's determination that the EEOC has the authority to issue the ADEA exemption, the Third Circuit lifted the injunction that had been preventing the EEOC from taking final action. But before the EEOC issues the final exemption, it presumably will wait to see if the AARP will ask the Supreme Court to review the Third Circuit's decision. So far, no announcement has been made." (Deloitte)
National Health Insurance Plan to Soon Become Effective in the Bahamas
Excerpt: "Employers, employees and retires will soon be paying new government contributions as part of an effort to fund a non-profit health care plan for all legal citizens. The law establishing the new system was approved on December 20, 2006. However, it has not yet become effective due to recent changes in government administration." (Watson Wyatt Worldwide)
Newly Posted Events
ERISA Advisory Council Sets July 2007 Meetings
in District of Columbia on July 10, 2007
presented by U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)
Key Challenges in FMLA Administration: Qualifying, Tracking and Certifying Leave Entitlement
Nationwide on June 28, 2007
presented by Thompson Interactive, A Division of Thompson Publishing Group
Phased Retirement Status Update Teleweb
Nationwide on July 12, 2007
presented by International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans
Same-Gender Marriage, Civil Unions, and Domestic Partnerships: Recent Developments and the Impact on Employee Benefit Plans
Nationwide on July 11, 2007
presented by Thompson Interactive, A Division of Thompson Publishing Group
U.S. Labor Department to Hold Hearing on Computer Model Advice Programs for Individual Retirement Accounts and Similar Type Plans
in District of Columbia on July 31, 2007
presented by U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)
Newly Posted Press Releases
PBGC Assumes Pension Plans of Specialty Filaments
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC)
ERISA Advisory Council Sets July 2007 Meetings
U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
(Post a Job | View All Jobs)
Defined Contribution Plan Administrator
for Pension Planning Consultants, Inc.
in NM
DC Testing Specialist
for Kravitz - Louis Kravitz & Associates
in ANY STATE, CA
DC Plan Administrator
for Columbus Retirement Administrators
in OH
Physician Services Manager
for Culinary Fund
in NV
ERISA Consultant
for Vanguard
in AZ
Senior Compliance Testing Consultant
for Vanguard
in PA
Litigation Attorney
for Law Firm
in IL
401 (k) DC Administrator
for Polycomp Administrative Services
in CA
Retirement Plan Attorney (Pension)
for Standard Insurance Company
in OR
Director of Operations
for BenefitStreet, Inc.
in CA
Employee Benefits Account Representative
for SKCG Group, Inc.
in NY
Handy Links:
- View Today's Active Message Threads
- Using the Web for Employee Benefits Research (hypertext article)
- Employee Benefits Library
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