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| May 2, 2008 |
| Here are the Web's best new links about compliance and cost aspects of plan operation, design and policy. |
Today's sponsor is www.ftwilliam.com
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| A: www.ftwilliam.com
Our Welfare plan document software is easy to learn, easy to use and affordable! The software includes SPDs, corporate resolutions, participant forms, updates, amendments, error correction and more! Get all four of these documents and unlimited use for only $775/year or $175/plan.
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[Guidance Overview] Recent HSA Developments (PDF)
4 pages. Excerpt: "The purpose of this Alert is to provide information regarding four recent developments regarding HSAs: New Legislation Requiring Substantiation of HSA Distributions; 2009 Limits for HSA Deductibles, Out-of-Pocket Amounts, and Contributions; Finalized Regulations on Comparable Contributions to HSAs; and Recent Statistics Indicating Increased Enrollment in HSAs." (Miller & Chevalier, Chartered)
[Guidance Overview] Final Regulations on HSA Comparability Rules
Excerpt: "The regulations also address the acceleration of employer contributions for the calendar year for employees who have incurred qualified medical expenses exceeding the employer's cumulative HSA contributions at that time. The final regulations adopt the provisions of the proposed regulations without substantive revision." (Wolters Kluwer)
Colorado House Approves Legislation That Would Bar Insurers from Providing Incentives for Prescribing Generic Drugs
Excerpt: " The Colorado House on Monday voted 62-3 to approve a bill (HB 1411) that would ban insurance companies from offering physicians cash incentives to switch patients to less-costly generic versions of prescription drugs, the Denver Post reports." (Kaiser Family Foundation)
House Subpanel Votes to Hike Maximum Dependent Age for Federal Health Benefits
Excerpt: "The measure, which raises the maximum age of dependents eligible for the Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan from 22 to 25, passed by unanimous voice vote after a hearing in which representatives of federal employees' unions urged its passage." (GovernmentExecutive.com)
Business Opposes Genetics Bill as House Gives Final OK
Excerpt: "The bill, on its way to the White House for a likely presidential signing into law, prohibits employers from linking hiring, compensation or other personnel decisions to an employee's genetic predisposition to a disease." (Workforce Management; free registration required)
Who Pays for Health Care When Workers Are Uninsured?
Excerpt: "[T]he lack of employer-based coverage generates public costs in the form of taxpayer bills to fund public insurance or uncompensated care programs for care that would otherwise be paid for through insurance. This report quantifies those costs, using data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys to estimate public program spending and uncompensated care costs for uninsured workers and their dependents." (The Commonwealth Fund)
Coaches Can Help Employees Become More Accountable for Maintaining and Improving Their Own Health
Excerpt: "A recent NBGH/Watson Wyatt study revealed that 44 percent of large employers offered health coaching in 2007, with an additional 13 percent planning to offer it this year. Coaches work with employees (usually over the phone, but sometimes in person) to set goals for the treatment of their conditions and to keep them informed of potential risks." (Human Resource Executive Online)
Staying Power Lacking In Wellness Programs
Excerpt: "College graduates and the affluent are most likely to have participated in a wellness program in the past three years. Those with at least some college are more likely to favor health insurance covering complementary alternative medicine techniques. Alternative techniques or practices that employees believe should be covered by insurance include the following . . . ." (Wolters Kluwer)
Presidential Candidates Vow to Make Health Care Better and Less Costly But Split Along Party Lines on How to Do It
Excerpt: "Despite their differences, all three candidates have proposed ways to level the playing field between workers whose insurance costs are subsidized by their employer and those who buy insurance on their own. They also have called for some form of a public program to make health care more affordable for the uninsured and those with pre-existing conditions." (CNNMoney.com)
Some HR Executives and Healthcare Experts Believe It's Time for Employers to Get Out of the Business of Providing Health Benefits
Excerpt: "[C]ritics such as Alain C. Enthoven call the employer-based system 'a historical accident' that no longer works. The emeritus professor of management at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business says, 'Nobody could stand up today and defend it on a rational basis.' Some HR executives agree. 'We don't offer that much value in a macro sense,' says E. J. 'Ned' Holland Jr., senior vice president of HR at Embarq Corp. . . . He likens the employer's role in health insurance to a reseller, with administrative support thrown in." (Human Resource Executive Online)
New Congressional Report Says Wyden-Bennett Health Plan Would Pay for Itself
Excerpt: " A bipartisan plan for universal health care coverage would pay for itself and eventually could create modest budget surpluses, according to a congressional report released Thursday." (AP via Star Tribune)
Many HSA-Eligible Are Not Using Them
Excerpt: "[GAO said] nationally representative surveys conducted in 2005, 2006, and 2007 found that 42% to 49% of HSA-eligible plan enrollees reported that they had not opened an HSA and 20% to 24% did not plan to open one. Reasons cited for not planning to open an HSA included lack of information or knowledge about them, inability to afford them, belief they did not need them." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)
The True Cost of Poor Health (PDF)
4 pages. Excerpt: "To gauge the business case for population health management, it's critical to fully identify and enumerate all of the health-related costs associated with unhealthy employees. This includes: Direct costs, such as outpatient care, pharmacy charges, inpatient care and emergency room visits [and] Indirect costs, including short-term disability, workers' compensation, turnover, absenteeism and presenteeism" (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research via Human Resource Executive Online)
Dos and Don'ts of Health Coaching
Excerpt: "What is health coaching? It is the process of support, guidance and encouragement for helping people make and sustain health improvements in their lives. When offered as a part of a health-benefits package, the biggest challenge is getting employees engaged and keeping them engaged over time. Companies that realize engagement rates between 60 percent and 75 percent are capturing the greatest return on the health-coaching investment." (Human Resource Executive Online)
Johnson & Johnson's Consumer-Directed Health Plan Is More Than a Band-Aid for Employees
Excerpt: "A corporate-wide culture of wellness and sophisticated marketing to a health-conscious population eased the transition to consumer-directed health (CDH) when New Brunswick, N.J.-based Johnson & Johnson introduced a health reimbursement arrangement (HRA) to its non-unionized salaried staff in January 2008." (AISHealth.com)
Congress Passes Anti-Genetic Discrimination Bill
Excerpt: "President Bush is expected to soon sign the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, which would prohibit health insurance companies from using genetic information to set premiums or determine enrollment eligibility. Similarly, employers could not use genetic information in hiring, firing or promotion decisions." (AP via The New York Times; free registration required)
CBO Letter to Sen. Wyden and Bennett with Preliminary Analysis of a Proposal for Comprehensive Health Insurance (PDF)
17 pages. Excerpt: "At your request, the staffs of our two organizations have collaborated on a preliminary analysis of a modified proposal for comprehensive health insurance based on S. 334, the 'Healthy Americans Act,' which you introduced last year. That modified proposal includes various clarifications and changes that you have indicated you would like to examine as part of the consideration of that bill. Attachment A summarizes our understanding of your modified proposal." (U.S. Congressional Budget Office)
Report from Congressional Budget Office and Joint Committee on Taxation Boosts Bipartisan Health Plan
Excerpt: "A bipartisan plan for universal health care coverage would pay for itself and eventually could create modest budget surpluses, according to a congressional report released Thursday. The report by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office and Joint Committee on Taxation said the health care plan could be fully operational by 2012 and become 'budget-neutral' by 2014. That means the plan would bring in as much revenue as it costs to implement." (AP via The New York Times; free registration required)
[Opinion] The Cost of Health Care for Small Business
Excerpt: "As health care costs continue to rise, the competitiveness of American companies will continue to fall. Real health care reform must address the challenges facing the businesses that employ Americans as well as the costs facing individuals and families. The key to reform is to provide every American with access to quality, affordable care that protects the doctor-patient relationship. Here are four major principles that should form the basis for reform to help achieve the goal of having every American insured . . . ." (The Washington Times)
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| Walking the Benefits Management Tightrope |
| Do you sometimes feel like a high wire acrobat performing without a net? That's how it can seem as you try to span the chasm between managing an attractive benefits program and reigning in costs. The Health and Welfare Plan Management for Mid-Sized Employers, June 8-11, 2008, in Chicago, guides you through today's complex benefit issues and offers solutions to help you master your technique. |
| (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
[Guidance Overview] Maryland Amends Wage Payment and Collection Law; Provides Clear Answer for Employers with Respect to Accrued Leave
Excerpt: "A recent amendment to the Maryland Wage Payment Collection Law finally provides both employers and employees with a clear idea as to when accrued leave is paid out on termination. Whether an employer is obligated to pay out unused accrued time depends on the employer's written policy and whether this policy was communicated to the employee at the time of hiring." (Nixon Peabody LLP)
[Guidance Overview] Legislation Proposed to Eliminate Employment Taxes on Employer-Provided Cell Phones
Excerpt: "In 1989 Congress amended the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to include cell phones among 'listed property.'1 Listed property includes items obtained for use in a business but designated by the IRC as lending themselves easily to personal use. Besides cell phones, other 'listed property' includes automobiles, computers, and entertainment or recreation-related items. From an employer's perspective, business use of listed property is treated as a working condition fringe benefit. However, if the employee uses the property for personal use, such use is treated as additional wages and is subject to income tax withholding, FICA and FUTA taxes." (Littler Mendelson P.C.)
Executive Compensation: Is It Too High?
Excerpt: "There are five tools companies generally use in setting executive compensation, points out E-Commerce Times columnist Theodore F. di Stefano: base salary, short-term incentives, long-term incentives, employee benefits and perks." (Ecommerce Times)
Class of 2008 Tuned Into Retirement, Health Benefits That Come with a Job
Excerpt: "A survey by a job site aimed at new college graduates found that the Class of 2008 considers health care coverage and a retirement savings program as very important when evaluating a job offer." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)
Employers Broaden Total Rewards
Excerpt: "The economic downturn and increased competition for the best talent are leading companies to adopt a more holistic approach to total rewards. They are going beyond benefits and compensation and incorporating elements such as career planning, performance management, employee training and work-life balance programs, experts say." (Employee Benefit News; free registration required)
Change in Compensation Costs, December 2007-March 2008
Excerpt: "Total compensation costs for civilian workers increased 0.7 percent from December 2007 to March 2008, seasonally adjusted." (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
A New Benefit Platform for Life Security (PDF)
62 pages. Excerpt: "The benefit security needs of all Americans is a troubling issue of increasing importance to employers and to society as a whole; as these issues began to be raised by our members, The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) asked a Task Force drawn from its membership and composed of experienced senior benefit professionals to address this issue. The Task Force's assessment and proposal has been reviewed and endorsed by ERIC's policy committees and its Board." (The ERISA Industry Committee via Human Resource Executive Online)
Newly Posted Events
Form 5500 Reporting Requirements Webcast
Nationwide on May 8, 2008
presented by U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)
Form 5500- With a Twist!
in Massachusetts on May 15, 2008
presented by ASPPA Benefits Council (ABC) of New England
Newly Posted Press Releases
ING to Acquire CitiStreet for EUR 578 million (US $900 million); ING Moves to Number Three in Defined Contribution Business
ING Group
MBGH Annual Employer Benefit Survey Reveals Growing Shift to Value-Based Benefit Design
Midwest Business Group on Health
Cancer Remains Top Cause of Unum's Disability Claims; Research Finds Supportive Workplace Can Aid Recovery
Unum
Charles Schwab Expands Relationship With Mondrian Investment Partners
Charles Schwab Corporation
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
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Pension Administrator
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QPA, CPC, QKA, or APA Administrator To Work Remotely
for Plan Design Consultants, Inc.
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Senior Retirement Plan Analyst
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in MD
Education Specialist -- Field Presenter
for Charles Schwab & Company
in ANY STATE
Director Broker Dealer, Custody, Client Services & Operations
for Charles Schwab & Company
in AZ
Retirement Services District Manager
for ADP Retirement Services
in AZ, CA, CO, CT, IN, LA, MD, MI, NM, NY, OH, OK, PA, TN, TX
Lansing MI Home Based Customer Service Representative
for Citi
in MI
Health Insurance Administrator -Non Merit
for Baltimore County Government
in MD
Principal
for Buck Consultants
in IL, NJ, NY
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