BenefitsLink |
 |
 |
| January 28, 2009 |
| Here are the Web's best new links about compliance and cost aspects of plan operation, design and policy. |
Today's sponsor is International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans
(Click on company name or banner to learn more.)
| Be Smart by Association with the International Foundation |
| Smart is not a permanent state of being. What's your maintenance plan? Take advantage of the education and information available through the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, a nonprofit educational association, and find out why over 35,000 industry professionals like Ken Bradshaw, CEBS rely on the Foundation to stay informed and educated. Make sure you have the most comprehensive information on health, pension and compensation issues. Be smart by association. |
[Official Guidance]
Text of Description of Title III of H.R. 598, the 'Health Insurance Assistance for the Unemployed Act of 2009' (PDF)
14 pages. Excerpt: "This document . . . provides a description of the revenue provisions of Title III of H.R. 598, the 'Health Insurance Assistance for the Unemployed Act of 2009,' introduced by Mr. Rangel, Mr. Stark, and Mr. McDermott, and scheduled for markup by the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives on January 22, 2009. Title III of the bill provides for a subsidy for certain involuntarily terminated employees and their dependents with respect to continuation coverage that is required to be offered under group health plans pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code . . . and other law. Title III also permits a State to offer coverage under the State's Medicaid program to certain workers terminated from employment and other specified individuals." (U.S. House of Representatives Joint Committee on Taxation)
[Guidance Overview]
Chart Comparing COBRA Provisions in House and Senate Stimulus Measures (PDF)
2 pages. (American Benefits Council)
[Guidance Overview]
Seventh Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Benefit Claims in Worker Classification Case
Excerpt: "At issue here was a claim for damages for WellPoint and [the employer's] alleged failure to enroll [the individual] in retirement benefit plans for which he was eligible. Aside from the other problems with such a claim (which the Court did not address), the Court agreed with the defendants that benefit eligibility cannot be reduced to a question of common law employment status." (Attorney Roy F Harmon III in the Health Plan Law blog)
[Guidance Overview]
New York State Insurance Department Mandates Equal Treatment For Same-Sex Spouses Under Insured Benefit Plan
Excerpt: "[T]he New York State Insurance Department recently issued a 'Circular Letter' in which it indicated that all insurers licensed to do business in New York must re-write or amend their New York polices to recognize the marriages of same-sex couples legally performed in other jurisdictions, regardless of the gender of the spouses." (Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC)
[Guidance Overview]
State Health Care Reform Update
Excerpt: "For the last few years, states have been leading the way toward more comprehensive health care coverage to ensure that more people have or can obtain health insurance. Because of the potential impact of this ongoing activity on employer-provided health insurance benefits, Spencer's Benefits Reports provides regular updates about state health care reform." (Wolters Kluwer Law & Business)
Ten Working Papers on Key Administrative Issues in Expanding Health Coverage
Excerpt: "This project examines the management and administrative issues that are likely to arise as part of efforts to expand health coverage. It is the product of a study panel convened jointly by the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) and the National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI)." (National Academy of Social Insurance)
Retiree Drug Subsidy (RDS) Program Guidance: Rebates and Other Price Concessions (PDF)
5 pages. Excerpt: "This document provides guidance for plan sponsors (sponsors) in the Retiree Drug Subsidy (RDS) program on how to submit cost data for purposes of receiving the RDS, including how to: Take into account manufacturer rebates and similar price concessions that are retained by a pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) . . . ." (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services)
Employer Health Spending Nips at Pension Heels
Excerpt: "But health-benefits costs have been hot on the heels of [pension costs as the leading portion of total benefit spending by employers]. In 2007, while retirement-income benefits (at $693.9 billion) accounted for 47.7 percent of the total spending for benefits, health benefits (at $623.1 billion) had risen to 42.8 percent . . . ." (CFO.com)
Report on California Health Plans and Insurers
Excerpt: "Private health insurance carriers form the backbone of California's market-based health care system, providing coverage to 67% of its population. Health insurance carriers not only serve the privately insured, but also large portions of the publicly insured, in Medi-Cal, Healthy Families, Medicare, and other public programs. [Both the report and data files are linked from the target page.]" (California HealthCare Foundation)
[Opinion]
Consumer Watchdog Calls on Google to Cease Lobbying Effort to Allow Sale of Patient Medical Records
Excerpt: "The non-partisan Consumer Watchdog called on Google today to cease a rumored lobbying effort aimed at allowing the sale of electronic medical records in the current version of the Economic Stimulus legislation. Consumer Watchdog called on Congress to remove loopholes in the ban on the sale of medical records and include other privacy protections absent from the current bill . . . ." (ConsumerWatchdog.org)
EmployeeBenefitsJobs.com (Sponsor)
(Click on company name or banner to learn more.)
| EmployeeBenefitsJobs.com is where the best employers find the best candidates! |
Fill your employee benefits job openings fast by advertising on EmployeeBenefitsJobs.com. What better place to find qualified candidates?
|
Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General
[Guidance Overview]
Focus on Employee Benefits, January 23, 2009 Edition (PDF)
11 pages. Excerpt: "[Miller & Chevalier has summarized some of the developments expected] to require attention in 2009. These are broken down by four areas -- retirement plans, health and welfare plans, executive compensation, and payroll tax and fringe benefits." (Miller & Chevalier Chartered)
Trends in Executive Compensation over the Twentieth Century
Excerpt: "In recent years, a large academic debate has tried to explain the rapid rise in CEO pay experienced over the past three decades. In this article, I review the main proposed theories, which span views of compensation as the result of a competitive labor market for executives to theories based on excess of managerial power. Some of these hypotheses have found support in cross-sectional evidence, but it has proven more difficult to determine which factors have caused the observed changes in pay over time." (Social Science Research Network)
Newly Posted Press Releases
Adoption of Personalized Medicine May Yield Significant ROI; Time to Achieve Benefit Varies Among U.S. Health Care Stakeholders
Deloitte
CAPTRUST Deepens Presence in the Midwest
CAPTRUST Financial Advisors
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
(Post a Job | View All Jobs |
RSS Feed )
401(k) Plan Administrator
for Southern Pension Services
in FL
Retirement Plan Administrators
for Pension Specialists, Inc.
in CA
Regional Executive Benefits Specialist
for CUNA Mutual Group
in CA
Retirement Specialist
for CUNA Mutual Group
in WI
Retirement Education Specialist
for CUNA Mutual Group
in WI
Employee Benefits Account Manager
for Westchester Risk Management/Benefits Advisory Firm
in NY
401(k)/DC Admin Manager, ESG
for CUNA Mutual Group
in WI
Pension Administrator
for Full Service TPA
in PA
Trust Analyst - Retirement Plans
for Kibble & Prentice
in WA
Customer Service Representative
for Midsouth Consulting Group
in TN
Sr. Actuarial Associate
for Prudential Financial
in NJ
Handy Links:
- View Today's Active Message Threads
- Using the Web for Employee Benefits Research (hypertext article)
- Employee Benefits Library
Subscribe to the BenefitsLink Retirement Plans Newsletter, Too!
Sign-up form is at https://benefitslink.com/newsletter (free).
This newsletter is sent to you each workday except federal holidays.
This email has been published by:
BenefitsLink.com, Inc.
1298 Minnesota Avenue, Suite H
Winter Park FL 32789
(407) 644-4146
Fax: (407) 644-2151
David Rhett Baker, J.D., Editor
Copyright 2009 BenefitsLink.com, Inc.; except that you can forward this email in full (including this boilerplate part) or otherwise reprint this email in full (including this boilerplate part) without obtaining our permission.
Anyone can receive these emails; just have them sign up at this web page: https://benefitslink.com/newsletter/
Other useful links: