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| March 13, 2008 |
| Here are the Web's best new links about compliance and cost aspects of plan operation, design and policy. |
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| Visit www.cdhcsolutionsmag.com to learn more about the magazine and our new social networking site which is exclusive in the field. Now you are even closer to the cutting-edge solutions and conversations discussed in CDHC Solutions magazine. No more one-way, top-down consumer-directed healthcare information from brochures, media kits, lectures and Web sites. Now you can put the power of virtual networking to use in real time. And most importantly, now you can interact easily with your peers and experts in the field about topics featured in the site or your own interests. Also, please check out our Virtual Events where you can attend keynotes; workshops and view Exhibitors all from your desk. |
[Guidance Overview] Federal Courts Appear to Disagree on Whether ERISA Preempts State and Local 'Fair Share' / 'Play-or-Pay' Health Reform Laws (PDF)
11 pages. Excerpt: "In the past year, federal courts have addressed challenges to three different state and local 'fair share' (or 'pay-or-play') laws. The laws, passed in San Francisco, Suffolk County (New York), and Maryland, require employers to contribute certain minimum amounts toward the health care coverage of their employees. The district courts in all three cases held that the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 ('ERISA') preempted each law. But, a split appears to be emerging among some federal appellate courts." (Groom Law Group)
[Guidance Overview] Supreme Court Considers Another Case on ERISA Remedies
Excerpt: "Last week, the Supreme Court signaled that it may now address the issue of what constitutes 'equitable relief' under ERISA Section 502(a)(3). The case under consideration is Amschwand v. Spherion Corp., 505 F.3d 342 (5th Cir. 2007)." (Washington Labor, Employment & Employee Benefits Law Blog)
'Faith Care' Helps Families Beat High Premiums - Christian Plans Aren't Insurance
Excerpt: "[Christian Care Medi-Share is] a charitable ministry that collects monthly contributions and disburses them among members to pay medical bills." (The News and Observer)
Cleaning Up the Company's Health Insurance Eligibility Rolls
Excerpt: "A school district in Cleveland saved $3.5 million in two steps: First, it identified ineligible dependents and removed them from the district's health care rolls. Then, the district clamped down with a new policy that required spouses to use their own employer's health care coverage." (Workforce Management; free registration required)
Companies Target Moms-to-Be With Wellness Programs
Excerpt: "Ten years ago, many employers viewed pregnant employees as liabilities. But today, companies are seeing the potential for cost savings by reaching out to this group." (Workforce Management; free registration required)
The Need for Oral Cancer Screenings, Dental Coverage Has Reached New High
Excerpt: "Are your employees being screened for oral cancer? The sad answer: Probably not." (Employee Benefit News; free registration required)
Points on How to Align Company Culture with Health Initiatives
Excerpt: "If employers want a healthier workforce, they may have to battle it out with their cafeteria vendor, said Raymond Brusca, vice president of benefits at Black and Decker." (Employee Benefit News; free registration required)
Voters Split on Impact of 'Socialized Medicine,' Study Finds
Excerpt: "Of the 2,000 adults responding in February 2008 to a telephone survey by the Harvard School of Public Health and Harris Interactive who indicated that they understood the term 'socialized medicine' (67%), 45% said that the U.S. would be better off with socialized medicine than under the current system, while 39% said it would be 'worse off.'" (Wolters Kluwer Financial Services)
U.S. Senator Dodd Proposes Disability Savings Accounts
Excerpt: "Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd has introduced a bill creating tax-advantaged Disability Savings Accounts (DSAs) to allow families with disabled members to better save for the costs of their care." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)
Drug Lobby Successfully Preventing Democratic Legislation to Reimport Drugs, Negotiate Prices for Medicare Drug Benefit
Excerpt: "The pharma.ceutical lobby has 'increasingly worked itself into the good graces of the Democratic Party' and in doing so has helped block Democrats from passing a measure permitting Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices and legislation allowing drug reimportation from Can.ada, the Washington Post reports." (Kaiser Family Foundation)
Aetna Announces Plans to Offer New Online Search Engine to Provide Members with Access to Medical Information
Excerpt: "Aetna officials . . . announced plans to offer a new online search engine that will allow members to access at no cost medical information, information on local physicians who can address their needs and cost information based on their medical histories and coverage levels, the San Francisco Chronicle reports . . . ." (Kaiser Family Foundation)
'Medical Home' Concept Embraced by IBM and Other Employers
Excerpt: "[T]he hallmarks of a 'medical home' are an ongoing relationship with a doctor; a team approach to delivering comprehensive, coordinated care that is integrated across the health care system; the use of tools, such as electronic medical records, to ensure that care is delivered safely and prevents redundancy and medical errors; and expanded access, including evening and weekend office hours and the use of e-mail and telephone consultations . . . ." (Financial Week; free registration required)
[Opinion] Testimony on Health and Wealth - Measuring Health System Performance
Excerpt: "Simply put, spending on health care does not reflect the value of health care delivered. Rather there is evidence from other countries -- and from some states within the U.S. -- that it is possible to have better health outcomes and spend less on health care. When a sector of the economy that makes up one-sixth of total GDP is not adequately captured in our national accounts and when there is no consensus on what constitutes good performance in the health sector, it is not surprising that the debate over health policy is often stymied." (The Commonwealth Fund)
[Opinion] Obama and Mccain Change the Health Care Debate
Excerpt: "[I]f John McCain and Barack Obama become the candidates for president this fall, we may see a subtle but useful shift that could actually lead to improving how health care is provided in this country. Both McCain and Obama recognize that the key question in health-care reform is not coverage, but cost." (National Review Online)
Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General
[Guidance Overview] Summary of FASB Statement 123R Share-Based Payment - Revised 3/10/2008 (PDF)
14 pages. Excerpt: "Statement 123R creates a more 'level playing field' for equity incentive design that is expected to result in the increased prevalence of full-value and performance-vesting awards, and a corresponding decline in plain-vanilla, tax qualified, and reload stock options, and employee stock purchase plans. The remainder of this paper summarizes the most pertinent provisions of Statement 123R and related staff guidance provided by the FASB and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)." (Frederic W. Cook & Co., Inc.)
Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, December 2007 - Summary
Excerpt: "Employer costs for insurance benefits -- life, health, and disability -- averaged $2.34 per hour (8.3 percent of total compensation). Paid leave benefits (vacations, holidays, sick leave, and other leave) averaged $1.96 (7.0 percent); retirement and savings averaged $1.24 (4.4 percent); and supplemental pay averaged 72 cents (2.6 percent) per hour worked." (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
[Opinion] Executive Pay - A Proposal to Protect Core Pay-for-Performance Programs
Excerpt: "The U.S. executive pay-for-performance model is not only viable, it is essential to the continued success of corporations and the U.S. economy. That may not be what critics of the system want to hear, but the numbers tell a compelling story. Watson Wyatt's multi-year studies at 1,000 large U.S. companies find a consistently strong, positive relationship between realizable pay (i.e., pay earned for the year, including equity value appreciation) and performance." (www.boardmember.com via Watson Wyatt Worldwide)
[Opinion] Social Security's Problems Haven't Gone Away
Excerpt: "Social Security is the largest government program in the world, accounting for 23 percent of the federal budget. The Social Security tax is the largest tax that the average American family pays. Nearly 80 percent of Americans pay more in Social Security taxes than they do in federal income tax. Millions of seniors depend on social Security for their retirement income, yet the program is unsustainable. It cannot pay future benefits without drowning our children and grandchildren in a sea of debt and taxes. Perhaps the candidates could spare a few minutes to tell us what they would do about that." (RetirementDebate.com via Cato Institute)
[Opinion] Does Religious Observance and the Workplace Mix?
Excerpt: "I argue strongly in a recent paper that it is inappropriate for employers to provide workplace chaplains in the workplace for their employees . . . ." (Workplace Prof Blog)
Newly Posted Events
DOL Speaks: The 2008 Employee Benefits Conference
in District of Columbia on May 21, 2008
presented by ASPPA & DOL
Great Lakes Benefit Conference
in Illinois on April 3, 2008
presented by ASPPA & IRS
Health & Welfare Web Seminar: COBRA 101- What You Need to Know About COBRA, and COBRA-Related Legal and Regulatory Updates
Nationwide on April 24, 2008
presented by TRI-AD
Health & Welfare Web Seminar: FLEX 101- What You Need to Know About Flexible Spending Accounts and Section 125 Plus Regulatory Updates
Nationwide on May 29, 2008
presented by TRI-AD
Retirement Web Seminar: Using the Best of Defined Benefit Plan Philosophy to Enhance Your 401(k) Plan
Nationwide on May 22, 2008
presented by TRI-AD
Taming The Benefits Beast: 9 Proven Strategies For Reducing Your Employee Benefits Costs in 2008 and Beyond
Nationwide on March 20, 2008
presented by HRTrainingCenter.com
Western Benefits Conference
in Colorado on June 28, 2009
presented by ASPPA and WP&BC
Women Business Leaders Forum
in Georgia on June 19, 2008
presented by ASPPA (American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries)
Newly Posted Press Releases
New ASPPA Women Business Leaders Forum Slated
ASPPA (American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries)
More Companies, Workers Adopt Consumer-Directed Health Plans
Watson Wyatt
White Plains, N.Y., Employer And Company President Ordered To Restore $1.5 Million To Retirement Plan To Resolve U.S. Labor Department Lawsuit
U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)
New Study Debunks Old Myth; Coping With Change Eases With Age ... Boomers Confident They Can Handle Retirement Transition
Transamerica Retirement Services
Diversified Investment Advisors Launches Plan SponsorDIRECT
Diversified Investment Advisors
Few Americans Aware of Retirement "Saver's Credit"; Transamerica Center Applauds IRS Efforts to Generate Awareness and Increase Use
Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
(Post a Job | View All Jobs |
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Client Service Manager - Health and Welfare
for TRI-AD
in CA
ERISA/Employee Benefits Associate
for Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C.
in MO
Handy Links:
- View Today's Active Message Threads
- Using the Web for Employee Benefits Research (hypertext article)
- Employee Benefits Library
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