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July 11, 2007
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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


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Retirement Compliance Testing Administrator
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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
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in CT

Regional Client Service Consultant
for StanCorp Equities Inc.
in CA

Regional Client Service Consultant
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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)
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in FL

401(k) Recordkeeping Specialist
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in VA

Retirement Plan Consultant
for CDM Retirement Consultants, Inc.
in MD




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