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| July 24, 2007 |
Sponsored by: Employee Benefits Institute of America Inc. (EBIA)
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| Record Retention Requirements for Health & Welfare Plans |
| In Record Retention Requirements for Health & Welfare Plans, EBIA's experts analyze record retention requirements for ERISA health and welfare plans as well as other employer-provided health and welfare benefits not subject to ERISA. You'll find answers to your record retention questions for many benefits including cafeteria plans, DCAPs, qualified transportation plans, HSAs, group health plans (like major medical, dental, health FSAs, and HRAs), and other ERISA benefits.
Available now at the introductory price of $195. Please enter priority code BL195. For more information and to order, visit http://www.ebia.com/OtherOfferings/Books/RecordRetention. |
Chartbook: Commonwealth Fund/National Opinion Research Ct Survey of Retiree Health Benefits, 2005
Excerpt: "The percent of firms offering retiree health benefits has remained constant between 2000 and 2006. Offer rates for large firms (200+ workers) are far higher than those for small firms (3-199 workers), at 35 percent versus nine percent." (The Commonwealth Fund)
Overview: EEOC Issues Final Update to ADEA Regulations to Bar 'Reverse Discrimination' Claims
Excerpt: "The final regulations amend the ADEA rules to reflect the Supreme Court's decision in General Dynamics Land Systems, Inc. v. Cline, 540 U.S. 581 (2004). In that case, the Supreme Court ruled the ADEA does not permit reverse age discrimination claims." (Deloitte)
Citizens' Council on Health Care Comments on Proposed National Health Data Stewardship Entity (PDF)
6 pages. Excerpt: "We believe the proposed National Health Data Stewardship Entity (NHDSE) would open wide the vaults of private medical data, authorizing the exposure of more than 300 million Americans to unwanted disclosures and research, potential embarrassment, fear in and outside the doctor's office, privacy violations, genetic discrimination, breaches in the confidential patient-doctor relationship, profiling and surveillance, outside controls on the practice of medicine, and . . . ." (Citizens' Council on Health Care)
UAW, U.S. Carmakers Must Close Labor Cost Gap to Survive
Excerpt: "If they fail to make giant strides toward shrinking the huge cost advantages now enjoyed by Toyota, Honda and other competitors, Ford and Chrysler may not survive long enough to negotiate another UAW contract. The reality is that stark." (Detroit Free Press)
Opinion: Lawmakers' Negligence in Proposing Health Care Initiatives
Excerpt: "Let's see. ERISA was enacted in 1974. But in 2007, some lawmakers are surprised that ERISA preempts State health care mandates as they apply to self-funded plans. Developments such as these do not bode well for State health care legislative initiatives." (Health Plan Law blog by Attorney Roy F. Harmon III)
Fewer Families Had Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance In 2005, Kaiser Foundation Reports
Excerpt: "[F]rom Spencer's Benefits Reports: Although 150 million individuals had health insurance coverage through an employer-provided plan in 2005, the percentage of workers with such coverage available has fallen by three percentage points since 2001." (Wolters Kluwer Law & Business)
California Patients Use Online Services To Manage Health Care
Excerpt: "There has been a substantial uptick in patients' use of online systems to track and schedule physician appointments, e-mail doctors and check lab results that are provided by Kaiser Permanente and other health networks in California, the Sacramento Bee reports." (California HealthCare Foundation; free registration may be required)
Companies Helping Employees Care for Their Elderly Parents
Excerpt: "A growing number of businesses now offer backup dependent care to their employees as part of the regular benefits package. Indeed, a survey just released by the Society of Human Resource Management identified backup care as one of the fastest growing employee benefits.' (San Jose Business Journal via American Business Daily)
Iraq Veterans Sue VA Over Pay, Health Care
Excerpt: "Frustrated by delays in health care, injured Iraq war veterans accused Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson in a lawsuit of breaking the law by denying them disability pay and mental health treatment." (Houston Chronicle)
Health Care Consumerism and Controversy: A Conversation with Regina Herzlinger (PDF)
8 pages. Excerpt: "A Harvard Business School professor discusses her original, although not universally accepted, application of market principles and consumer focus to health care." (Health Affairs)
UnitedHealthcare's Provider Ranking Tools on Hold While N.Y. Addresses AG Concerns
Excerpt: "The AG warned the UnitedHealth Group subsidiary that if it introduced its Premium Designation program 'or any similar program' that the state would likely seek an injunction against the insurer. United is working with the AG's office and has postponed introduction of the consumer tools in Connecticut, New Jersey and New York." (Health Plan Week via AISHealth.com)
LTD Plan Hit with $9,800 Penalty for Late Plan Documents Copy Response
Excerpt: "A federal judge in Indiana has hit a health care company with a $9,800-penalty under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) for not providing a long-term disability (LTD) plan participant with its plan documents." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)
Unisys Made Misrepresentations about Retiree Health Insurance Coverage
Excerpt: "The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania said that Unisys Corp. would have to restore the free or low-cost retiree health benefits of 12 employees who retired from the company's predecessor." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)
Reducing Reliance by Workers on Employers for Healthcare Will Require Commitment from Government
Excerpt: "Spending on health care has skyrocketed for employers and the average American family. Len Nichols, an economist at the New America Foundation, says reducing reliance on employers for health care requires a commitment from government." (NPR Morning Edition)
EEOC Rules Address Caregiver Discrimination
Excerpt: "Employers should be careful to not discriminate against parents and other caregivers, as federal authorities are paying closer attention to caregiver discrimination. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently issued new guidance on the issue . . . . The guidance highlights a range of circumstances, including sex-based stereotyping and subjective decisionmaking toward working mothers, assumptions about pregnant workers, discrimination against working fathers and hostile work environments affecting caregivers." (Employee Benefit News)
Sponsored by: Health and Welfare Plan Management for Mid-Sized Employers
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| September 23-26, 2007 - Las Vegas |
| Cost versus quality -- is your health care plan fit enough to survive this challenge? Many plan sponsors are implementing HSAs, HRAs, wellness and disease management programs, consumerism, prescription drug management and employee communication programs to strengthen their plans. Which features should you incorporate into your program? Find out at the Health and Welfare Plan Management for Mid-Sized Employers conference, scheduled September 23-26, 2007, at The Venetian® Resort~Hotel~Casino in Las Vegas. |
| (Please visit our sponsors. We try to make sure their products and services will be of interest to you. Thanks! --Editor) |
Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General
IRS Notice 2007-62: Regs Coming for 457 Plans; 'Severance Pay Plan', 'Substantial Risk of Forfeiture' Definitions to be Addressed (PDF)
9 pages. Excerpt: "The Treasury and the Service anticipate issuing guidance providing that an arrangement is a bona fide severance pay plan under § 457(e)(11), and thus is not subject to the requirements of § 457, if: (1) the benefit is payable only upon involuntary severance from employment, (2) the amount payable does not exceed two times the employee's annual rate of pay (taking into account only pay that does not exceed the maximum amount that may be taken into account under a qualified plan pursuant to § 401(a)(17) for the year in which the employee has a severance from employment), and (3) the plan provides that the payments must be completed by the end of the employee's second taxable year following the year in which the employee separates from service." (Internal Revenue Service)
Newly Posted Events
Fourth Quarter 2007 Update
Nationwide on November 15, 2007
presented by McKay Hochman Co., Inc.
Ninth Annual "Best Practices Conference," Crowne Plaza Hotel, Natick, MA
in Massachusetts on December 12, 2007
presented by New England Employee Benefits Council
Proven Strategies For Increasing HSA Enrollment
Nationwide on July 25, 2007
presented by HRTrainingCenter.com
Tax Strategies for Helping Business Owners Sell to Top Employees - for Atlanta-area CPAs
in Georgia on August 22, 2007
presented by White Horse Advisors, LLC
Third Quarter 2007 Update
Nationwide on August 13, 2007
presented by McKay Hochman Co., Inc.
Newly Posted Press Releases
Council Responds To DOL Request For Information On 401(k) Plan Fees
American Benefits Council
Treasury, IRS Finalize Section 403(b) Plan Rules
U.S. Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service
NCOA and HealthSpring Expand Ability to Connect Seniors With Benefits
National Council on Aging (NCOA)
Partnership for Prevention Launches New Media Campaign to Promote Worksite Health
Partnership for Prevention
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
(Post a Job | View All Jobs)
Actuarial Testing Director - Defined Benefits
for Fidelity Investments
in NY
Defined Benefit Client Account Manager
for New York Life Retirement Plan Services
in MA
Deputy Regional Director
for U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration
in NY
Sales Assistant
for GPS Investment Advisors, Llc
in RI
Retirement Services Call Center Representatives
for Fortune 500 Company in Mercer County Area
in NJ
Vice President Compliance
for Fidelity Investments
in NH
Director, International Benefits
for 20th Century Fox
in CA
Senior Investment Advisor
for Standard Insurance Company
in PA
Conversion Specialist
for The Newport Group
in NC
Handy Links:
- View Today's Active Message Threads
- Using the Web for Employee Benefits Research (hypertext article)
- Employee Benefits Library
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