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CBO Report Projects Possible Dramatic Impact of Health Care Spending Growth on Income Tax Rate Excerpt: "The report found that if the current rate of health spending growth -- 2.5 percentage points per year higher than the growth in the Gross Domestic Product -- continues, income tax rates would need to increase from 10% to 26% in the lowest tax bracket; from 25% to 66% in the middle tax bracket; and from 35% to 92% in the highest tax bracket." (KaiserNetwork.org) Federal Death Benefit for Police, Firefighters Proves Difficult to Administer Excerpt: "The Public Safety Officers' Benefits program offers almost $300,000 to families of officers who die from a traumatic event. The value was raised to attract more people to become officers and firefighters after so many perished in the September 11 attacks. . . . Justice Department officials have sought 10 years of medical records that enabled them to cite pre-existing conditions to deny claims and sometimes insisted the stress that killed public servants was merely routine, [the chairman of the National Fallen Firefighers Foundation] said." (New York Times; free registration required) New Hampshire State Employees to Begin Paying for Healthcare Coverage in Part Excerpt: "As of this month, employees will get a 51-cent-an-hour raise, which translates to about $1,000 a year for a full-time worker. . . . Employees who use state insurance will begin contributing $25 per pay period, or $50 a month, to their health coverage. In 2009, that amount will rise to $30 per pay period, and the co-payments for visits to primary care providers will go from $5 to $10." (Concord Monitor via International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans) Electronic Health Records Don't Lift Care, U.S. Study Says Excerpt: "Of 17 measures of quality assessed, electronic health records made no difference in 14 measures, according to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. The study by researchers at Stanford and Harvard Universities was based on a survey of 1.8 billion physician visits in 2003 and 2004. Electronic health records were used in 18 percent of them." (Reuters Health via Medscape; free registration required) Overview: Legislation Would Provide Tax Credits to Employers Offering Wellness Programs Excerpt: "The legislation would provide businesses a tax credit 'worth 50% of the costs they incur per employee for wellness and preventive health care services' . . . . Companies would receive a tax credit of up to $200 for the first 200 employees participating in a wellness program and up to $100 per employee thereafter . . . ." (KaiserNetwork.org) Employer's Health Plan Bases Deductible on Health Tests, Sees Costs Fall Excerpt: "[W]orkers were offered a supplemental policy that would grant them credits worth up to $2,000 if they kept their weight in check, didn't smoke and met specific standards for blood pressure and cholesterol. . . . The cost of providing health care dropped from 11.5% of wages before the program to 9.1% in the first year and have fallen to 7.5% since . . . ." (USATODAY.com) Testimony of U.S. Chamber Chairman on Bill to Provide Tax Credit for Wellness Programs Excerpt: "The new elected Chairman of the U.S. Chamber, Paul Speranza, joined a broad coalition of business leaders and health care advocates on the Hill this week to promote workplace wellness and support a bill that provides tax credits to companies with a wellness program." (U.S. Chamber of Commerce) Rosalynn Carter, Sen. Wellstone's Son Push Federal Mental Health Coverage Mandate Excerpt: "Carter and Wellstone hope to win passage for the ''Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act,'' that would require equal health insurance coverage for mental and physical illnesses when policies include both." (New York Times; free registration required) Hearing Testimony: The Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2007 (H.R. 1424) Includes link to archived hearing webcast as well as written statements presented by witnesses. (U.S. House Committee on Education and Labor) Opinion: NPR Interview Is Best 39 Minutes You Can Spend Understanding Other Healthcare Systems Excerpt: "NPR's 'Fresh Air' broadcast a 39-minute interview with Jonathan Oberlander, a political scientist with expertise in health care politics and policy and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Studying other systems is important as we in America look to reform our health care system. Unfortunately, we hear many things out of context and some outright myths." (Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review) Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General Section 409A Impact on Separation Pay Arrangements Excerpt: "[S]eparation pay arrangements are often subject to Code Section 409A. A severance pay arrangement is automatically subject to Code Section 409A if the arrangement specifies a payment date or payment event that will or may occur after 2-1/2 months following the end of the year in which the termination occurred." (Gray Plant Mooty) Opinion: Ideology Is Preventing Reform of Healthcare and Retirement Systems Excerpt: "The consensus of employers, government officials, academics, health consumers, etc., for nearly 40 years has been that the health 'non-system' in the nation is broken and needs to be fixed. . . . The consensus on the need to 'fix' the retirement 'non-system' stretches the same 40-plus years . . . . The ideological divide over what 'reforms' should take place in either area has grown wider with each passing decade." (Human Resource Executive Online) Newly Posted Events 20th Annual Benefits Management Forum & Expo in Texas on September 16, 2007 presented by SourceMedia Cash Balance Plan Design Nationwide on July 19, 2007 presented by AccuDraft, Inc. Determination Letter Applications In-Depth Nationwide on August 9, 2007 presented by AccuDraft, Inc. Health Care and the '08 Election: A Preview - Webcast Nationwide on July 12, 2007 presented by KaiserNetwork.org Introduction to Cash Balance Plans Nationwide on July 12, 2007 presented by AccuDraft, Inc. Online Form 5500 Software Refresher Course Nationwide on July 18, 2007 presented by ftwilliam.com Roth Contributions and Distributions Finalized Nationwide on July 26, 2007 presented by AccuDraft, Inc. The 20th Annual ERISA Litigation Conference in California on October 11, 2007 presented by West Legalworks Newly Posted Press Releases Auto IRAs Could Jump Start Worker Savings: 48 Million Americans Could Benefit From Auto Enrollment Retirement Programs AARP U.S. Labor Department Obtains Judgment to Recover Nearly $1.2 Million for Miami-Based Employee Retirement Plan U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) Benefits Essentials Wins 2007 APEX Award for Publication Excellence vSimplify Principal Financial Group to Ease Burden of Expected 403(b) Rule Changes Principal Financial Group Council to House Education and Labor Committee: H.R. 1424 Threatens Critical Federal Preemption Law American Benefits Council Poor Employee Health Costlier Than Employers Think National Pharmaceutical Council Office-Based Positions Lead Dry Eye Hot Jobs: National Listing Unveils Job Categories That Can Aggravate a Condition Affecting More Than 20 Million Americans National Women's Health Resource Center Employees Get New Tasty Benefit Through Executive Chef Program Executive Chef Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings (Post a Job | View All Jobs) Retirement Compliance Testing Administrator for Vanguard in PA Benefits Consultant for Northwestern Benefit Corporation of Georgia in GA Internal Service Representative for Northwestern Benefit Corporation of Georgia in GA Defined Benefit Administration Software Consultant for Winklevoss Technologies in CT Regional Client Service Consultant for StanCorp Equities Inc. in CA Regional Client Service Consultant for StanCorp Equities Inc. in TX Regional Client Service Consultant for StanCorp Equities Inc. in CO Regional Client Service Consultant for StanCorp Equities Inc. in OR Junior Key Account Manager for Transamerica Retirement Services in CA Implementation Specialist (Enroller) for SunGard ProNvest in CA, GA Sales & Marketing - Vice President (VP) for Raymond James Financial, Inc. in FL 401(k) Recordkeeping Specialist for NRECA in VA Retirement Plan Consultant for CDM Retirement Consultants, Inc. in MD Handy Links:
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