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[Guidance Overview] Actuarial Equivalence for Prescription Drug Plans and Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug Plans under the Medicare Drug Program (PDF) Excerpt: "The purpose of this practice note is to provide guidance to the actuary certifying to the actuarial equivalence of a PDP or a MA-PD under the requirements of 42 CFR 423.265 and is based on interpretations of 42 CFR 423.265 and current CMS guidelines and requirements." (American Academy of Actuaries) [Guidance Overview] Family of Ex-Wal-Mart Employee Loses Health Benefits Repayment Fight Excerpt: "The U.S. Supreme Court has turned away an appeal from the family of a former Wal-Mart employee injured in a car crash in its legal battle to keep the giant retailer from recouping hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical expenses from an accident settlement." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required) Blue Cross to Push Wellness in Plans Excerpt: "The movement by employers and insurance companies to put employee wellness at the forefront of consumer health choices is getting a big boost under a new push by the nation's fourth largest health insurance company. Chicago-based Health Care Service Corp., parent of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, added the word 'wellness' to the mission statements of its four health plans. The company, which has more than 12 million members, also operates Blue Cross and Blue Shield health plans in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma." (Chicago Tribune) Google Unveils Online Health Record Pilot Program Excerpt: "Google and the Cleveland Clinic agreed to partner on a program to store patient health records online. The patients, who volunteered for the electronic transfer of their records, will be able to access their own records. Though all health profiles will be password-protected, critics have accused the program of raising more problems than it solves." (Search Engine News) Republicans and Democrats Diverge on Health Care Excerpt: "Americans' views of the U.S. health care system differ widely based on political party preferences, with Republicans far more likely than Democrats to call it the world's best, a poll released [today] showed." (Reuters via The New York Times; free registration required) U.S. House Bill Seeks Parity in Prosthetic Coverage Excerpt: "Group health insurers would be required to offer coverage for prosthetic devices and components, under legislation calling for new parity standards in the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. Introduced as H.R. 5615, the Prosthetic Parity Act asks that health plans offer prosthetic care coverage on par with other medical or surgical care deemed 'essential' to a patient's health, restricting the ability to establish separate dollar caps or restrictions for prostheses." (BestWire Services via NewsEdge Corporation via Human Resource Executive Online) More U.S. Health Insurers Slashing Costs by Sending Policyholders Overseas for Pricey Procedures Excerpt: "Yes, just like manufacturing facilities and call centers, health care is moving offshore. 'All of the largest U.S. insurers are starting to educate themselves or are putting [offshore] programs in place,' says Jonathan Edelheit, president of the Medical Tourism Assn., an industry group formed just last year. Companies that self-insure are also bombarding Edelheit's group with requests for information." (BusinessWeek) OPM Urges Health Insurers to Increase Hearing Benefits Excerpt: "The federal employee health insurance program yesterday urged health insurance companies to strengthen their coverage for adults who need hearing aids or have problems hearing. . . . Last year, OPM asked insurance companies to increase coverage of hearing benefits for newborns and children, noting that hearing loss is one of the most common congenital birth defects. Some companies increased those benefits, at little or no additional cost to enrollees, OPM said." (The Washington Post; free registration required) Employers, Health Plans, PBMs Push for Legislation to Rein in Specialty-Drug Spending Excerpt: "Bills paving the way for cheaper biotech drugs are pending in Congress, but debate rages over details. Biotech companies, who prefer the term 'biosimilars' to biogenerics, say that copying a biotech drug is more complicated than knocking off a pill. They want biogenerics to undergo clinical trials to prove safety and efficacy. That could drive up costs. Big employers worried about escalation of specialty-drug costs are ramping up lobbying through the Coalition for a Competitive Pharma.ceutical Market, a business group pushing for passage of biogenerics laws. Among them are General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co., and Caterpillar Inc." (The Wall Street Journal) Pennsylvania Health Care Alliance Launches Web Site Providing Quality-of-Care Information for State Hospitals Excerpt: "The site includes quality information for state hospitals on treatment of heart attacks, heart failure, pneumonia and hospital-acquired infections during a certain year. According to the alliance, the four categories were chosen first because they are the most common and costly illnesses for hospitals to treat . . . ." (Kaiser Family Foundation) Healthy Campus Survey - First Report of Results (PDF) 6 pages. Excerpt: "Sibson conducted this survey of college and university wellness programs last year. A range of higher education [initiatives] are represented in the survey. A supplement to the survey report at http://www.segalsibson.com/publications/surveysandstudies/HCsupp.pdf lists the institutions by name." (The Segal Group, Inc.) San Mateo County Employers May Fund County's Health Plan Excerpt: "The San Mateo County group working to extend health coverage to thousands of uninsured adults may try to persuade residents to vote for measures requiring employers to help pay for the effort. More than 1-1/2 years after it first convened, the county's Blue Ribbon Task Force on Adult Healthcare Coverage Expansion is still grappling with how to fund expansion of the county's health care system, which it is charged with making more efficient. The task force -- made up of 36 members representing business, labor and government -- is scheduled to vote Friday on a broad set of recommendations for a plan to cover between 36,000 and 44,000 adults ages 19 to 64 who earn less than 400 percent of the federal poverty limit. That equates to an annual income of $75,400 for a family of four." (Inside Bay Area) Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General [Official Guidance] The IRS Employer's Supplemental Tax Guide for Use in 2008 - Publication 15-A (PDF) 60 pages. Excerpt: "This publication supplements Publication 15 (Circular E), Employer's Tax Guide. It contains specialized and detailed employment tax information supplementing the basic information provided in Publication 15 (Circular E)." (Internal Revenue Service) [Guidance Overview] Accounting Proposal Would Require More Postretirement Benefit Disclosure Excerpt: "A Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) proposal made public on March 18, 2008, would significantly increase the amount and types of disclosures employers are required to file regarding postretirement benefits, such as pensions and retiree medical plans. These changes are proposed to take effect for fiscal years ending after December 15, 2008." (Watson Wyatt Worldwide) United Healthcare Options Backdating Suit Gets Class Action Status Excerpt: "A federal judge in Minneapolis has granted class-action status to a lawsuit against UnitedHealth Group Inc. over stock options backdating." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required) Newly Posted Events Ask the Experts: Tax Subsidies and Health Insurance - Webcast Nationwide on March 20, 2008 presented by KaiserNetwork.org Newly Posted Press Releases FASB Issues Proposed FASB Staff Position (FSP) No. 132(R)-a, Employers' Disclosures about Postretirement Benefit Plan Assets Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Companies Not Fully Tapping Potential of Onsite Health Centers Watson Wyatt Departing CEOs Not Receiving Increased Termination Payments At Most Companies, Watson Wyatt Survey Finds Watson Wyatt EBRI Report on Individual Account Assets Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) The SPARK Institute Comments On IRS 403(b) Plan Rules, Requests Deadline Extension, Guidance On Contracts SPARK Institute Financial Services Execs Drowning in Underwater Stock Options Steven Hall & Partners Many Americans May Run Out of Money in Retirement; Spending Outlook May Need to be Reduced InvestmentNews Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings (Post a Job | View All Jobs | RSS Feed ) Internal Service Representative for Northwestern Benefit Corporation of Georgia in GA Defined Contribution Software Customer Support for DATAIR Employee Benefit Systems, Inc. in IL Defined Contribution Analysts for Milliman, Inc. in NY 401(k) Recordkeeper for Guidant Financial Group, Inc. in WI Pension Analyst I for SunGard Relius in FL Senior Relius Administration Analyst for SunGard Relius in FL Manager of Customer Service for Northwestern Benefit Corporation of Georgia in GA Pension Administrator for R-Tech Consultants, Inc. in CA Benefits Specialist for CVS Caremark in RI Benefits Manager for ARINC in DC, MD, VA Actuary I for Stanley, Hunt, Dupree and Rhine in SC Assistant Manager Pension Operations for Zenith Administrators in IL Director of Investment Research Team-50052593 for MassMutual Financial Group in MA Assistant Director, Business Compliance for Hartford Life, The Hartford in CT Defined Benefits Sr Analyst for Affiliated Computer Services in NJ Sr Analyst - Benefits for L'Oreal USA in NJ Handy Links:
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