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| December 28, 2007 |
| Here are the Web's best new links about compliance and cost aspects of plan operation, design and policy. |
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(a) New Guidance Documents
(None today.)
(b) News
San Francisco Appeals Decision Striking Down Health Care Plan
Excerpt: "The city of San Francisco filed an emergency bid with a federal appeals court [yesterday] for a stay of a ruling that struck down an employer spending mandate in the city's pioneering health care plan.' (KTVU.com and Bay City News via foxreno.com)
Vote Set in D.C. on Mandating Paid Sick Leave
Excerpt: "The District could become the second U.S. city to require employers to provide paid sick leave to all workers, a move advocates say could protect employees from having to choose between keeping themselves healthy and keeping their job. Opponents say such a law could prompt businesses to reduce benefits and lay off workers." (The Washington Post; free registration required)
(c) Summaries of Guidance; Filed Comments
San Francisco's Health Care Ordinance Falls to ERISA Preemption Challenge
Excerpt: "In a well-reasoned opinion, a California district court has held that ERISA preempts the San Francisco Health Care Security Ordinance. The 2006 ordinance consisted of an employer health spending requirement and a government health care program, funded in part by those employer contributions." (Health Plan Law blog by Attorney Roy F. Harmon III)
Overview: San Francisco Health Law Falls to ERISA Preemption
Excerpt: "It still boggles the mind that the court comes to these conclusions, while still recognizing that, '[t]he Supreme Court has also emphasized more generally that the 'principal object of the statute [ERISA] is to protect plan participants and beneficiaries,'' Boggs v. Boggs, 520 U.S. 833, 845 (1997), not to ensure national uniformity or lower costs for employers to run such plans." (Workplace Prof Blog)
Overview: San Francisco Health Care Security Ordinance Preempted
Excerpt: "On December 26, 2007, United States District Judge Jeffery White granted summary judgment in favor of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association's challenge to the San Francisco Health Care Security Ordinance. The judge held that the Ordinance is invalid because it is preempted by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). The City is expected to request a stay pending appeal." (Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner LLP)
Overview: Final Regulation Allows Retiree Health Plans to Coordinate with Medicare
Excerpt: "The new regulation establishes an exemption from the ADEA that permits health plans to reduce, eliminate or alter benefits for Medicare-eligible retirees without the need to meet these additional standards." (Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP)
(d) Trends, Surveys, Research
EEOC Health Coverage Rule May Help Younger Retirees
Excerpt: "[A] federal rule published Wednesday means that employers may be less likely to drop or cut health-care coverage for younger retirees, while at the same time allowing them to reduce or eliminate benefits for retirees who turn 65 and qualify for Medicare." (Chicago Tribune)
6 Tax-Efficient Perks to Ask for at Work
Excerpt: "[T]he average person will change not only employers but also careers multiple times before reaching age 50. Combine that information with layoffs and downsizing on the employer side, and 'tenure' is a thing of the past. As a competent and dedicated employee, you can use this to your advantage. If you are doing a good job, your employer will want to keep you. And to do so, your company knows it might need to entice you to stay if your skills are marketable and you are in demand." (Wise Bread via MSN.Money)
(e) Policy, Opinion, Advocacy
Study: Health of Previously Uninsured Adults After Acquiring Medicare Coverage
Excerpt: "Health care coverage leads to dramatic improvement in health trends for previously uninsured older individuals, particularly those with cardiovascular disease or diabetes, according to a Commonwealth Fund-supported study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association." (The Commonwealth Fund)
Opinion: The Best of Healthcare Information Technology in 2007
Excerpt: "Over the past year, Health IT Strategist has chronicled some of the key issues of healthcare IT. Take a look at what readers found to be the most important, based on a review of page views for stories." (Modern Healthcare; free registration required)
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| Are Your Health and Welfare Benefits Headed Down the Right Road? |
| Dramatic cost increases have made the job managing your medical benefit plans a real challenge. Attend the Health & Welfare Plan Management for Mid-Sized Employers, Feb. 2-5, in Orlando to find out how to map a long-term course for your plans. |
| (Please visit our sponsors. We try to make sure their products and services will be of interest to you. Thanks! --Editor) |
Newly Posted Events
NIPA Webcast: Common 401(k) Plan Mistakes
Nationwide on February 7, 2008
presented by National Institute of Pension Administrators
Webcast: Common 401(k) Plan Mistakes
Nationwide on February 7, 2008
presented by National Institute of Pension Administrators
Newly Posted Press Releases
Treasury, IRS Issue Proposed Regulations for Cash Balance and Other Hybrid Pension Plans
U.S. Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service
IRS, Treasury Issue Additional Proposed Regulations on Pension Protection Act Funding Rules
U.S. Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
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Plan Administrator
for Beneco, Inc.
in AZ
Retirement Services Facilitator
for National Life Group
in
Relius Expert Needed
for Benesystems
in AZ
Defined Contribution Team Manager/401K Plan Administrator
for National Life Group
in VT
Handy Links:
- View Today's Active Message Threads
- Using the Web for Employee Benefits Research (hypertext article)
- Employee Benefits Library
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