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March 5, 2009

Here are the Web's best new links about compliance and cost aspects of plan operation, design and policy.


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[Guidance Overview]
Towers Perrin Monthly Health & Welfare Regulatory Round-Up, February 2009 (PDF)

8 pages. Excerpt: "The Monthly Regulatory Round-Up is a high-level summary of legal and regulatory developments that occurred during January 2009 that may be relevant to large employers. Developments are sorted according to federal legislative developments, federal regulatory guidance, other developments (e.g., significant litigation, studies, select state law developments)." (Towers Perrin)


[Guidance Overview]
CHIP Reauthorization Imposes New Notice and Disclosure Obligations on Employers (PDF)

Excerpt: "BUCK COMMENT. Because CHIPRA makes it easier for states to establish premium assistance subsidies, some employers may see an increase in enrollment by individuals who otherwise may have opted out of the employer plan because of state coverage. In addition, plan administrators may see increased state requests for information to determine whether the plan is cost-effective, which could be particularly burdensome for multistate employers." (Buck Consultants)


Health Care Summit at White House a First Step to Overhaul
Excerpt: "Fifteen years after the last Democratic president failed to overhaul the nation's troubled health care system, President Obama kicks off his effort to try again today by bringing all the major players together at the White House. It's a largely symbolic move, to be followed in the months ahead by tough negotiations over health care costs, access and quality. Even so, the White House has high hopes for the summit because of who will be in the room: consumers and providers, business and labor, insurers and drugmakers." (USA TODAY)


What You Need to Know About Using Incentives to Change Employee Behavior
Excerpt: "Late last year the Integrated Benefits Institute surveyed more than 500 employers, with more than five million workers combined, to document their use of incentives and disincentives to encourage worker health and productivity. We've formulated seven principles to help advisers and their clients successfully design, implement and manage health and productivity-related incentive programs." (Employee Benefit Adviser; Registration may be required)


Americans at Risk: One in Three Has No Health Insurance
Excerpt: "This analysis found that 86.7 million people -- one out of every three Americans under the age of 65 -- was uninsured for some period of time during 2007 and 2008. These Americans have had to pay for medical care out of their own pockets, or they have had to delay needed care altogether." (Families USA)


Who is Adversely Affected by Limiting the Tax Exclusion of Employment-Based Premiums? (PDF)
13 pages. Excerpt: "Our analysis of the 2005 Tax Reform Panel's recommended cap on the employer exclusion predicts that the percentage of older workers, average wage, percent female, firm size, nonprofit status, and degree of worker unionization are important factors in determining who would be affected. In addition, in a static model, indexing the proposed cap by overall inflation results in more than doubling the number of enrolled employees with tax-preferred premiums in excess of the cap from the first to the 10th year." (Economic Policy Institute)


Senator Baucus Looking at Taxing Employment-Based Health Benefit
Excerpt: "A senior Senate Democrat said Tuesday he would consider taxing U.S. workers on their employer-sponsored health insurance to help pay for extending coverage to millions of uninsured Americans. 'I think that tax provision should be on the table,' said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, who will play a major role in writing the legislation to revamp the U.S. healthcare system as promised by President Barack Obama. 'It's too aggressive. It skews the system,' he said of the tax benefit." (Reuters)


Most Employers Investing in Employee Health to Cut Costs
Excerpt: "A new survey by Hewitt Associates reveals that while health care benefit cost containment remains a priority, most large U.S. employers are continuing to make significant long-term investments in solutions and programs aimed at improving the health and productivity of their workforce." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)


Oklahoma Health Care Measure Would Provide Incentives to Businesses
Excerpt: "Oklahoma House members voted unanimously to approve a measure that would expand the state's Insure Oklahoma program. According to the Associated Press, the program, funded by tobacco tax revenue, provides premium assistance to small business workers and employers. The new law would provide incentives to businesses that offer Section 125 plans so employees can use pretax dollars to purchase health care coverage." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)


[Opinion]
Professor Bradley Herring on Single Payer Health Insurance, Followed by Comments

Excerpt: "First off, single payer, HR 676. The underlying appeal of this is essentially that it is very elegant, and simple. You pay taxes into the system and in return you get the medical care that you need. And then also it's universal. This is probably the only approach that's actually going to get us to having no uninsured." (Alliance for Health Reform and Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured via Physicians for a National Health Program)


[Opinion]
'Cadillac' Health Care Benefits Aren't Always What They Seem

Excerpt: "The following is a preview of an article to appear in Tax Notes, 'Who Loses if We Limit the Tax Exclusion for Health Insurance?' . . . ." (Economic Policy Institute)



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Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General


[Guidance Overview]
Transportation Benefit Limit Increase (PDF)

Excerpt: "The new law increases the monthly transit pass/vanpooling benefit limit to equal the monthly parking limit. Effective March 1 and through December 31, 2010, the maximum tax-free mass transit or vanpooling benefits employers can make available to employees will increase from $120 to $230 per month (indexed for 2010). BUCK COMMENT. Although the new limit is now in effect, employers are not required to implement it. However, for those employers with pre-tax programs and transit benefit vendors that can easily accommodate the new limit, it would seem appropriate to make the increased benefit available as soon as possible." (Buck Consultants)


[Guidance Overview]
Monthly Regulatory Round-Up on Executive Compensation, February 2009 (PDF)

Monthly Regulatory Round-Up on Executive Compensation, February 2009 4 pages. Excerpt: "The Monthly Regulatory Round-Up is a high-level summary of legal and regulatory developments that occurred during January 2009 that may be relevant to large employers. Developments are sorted according to federal legislative developments, federal regulatory guidance, other developments (e.g., significant litigation, studies, select state law developments)." (Towers Perrin)


Economic Stimulus Package Temporarily Increases Tax-Free Transit Benefits
Excerpt: "Employers that want to offer the higher amount in the current plan year should confirm that payroll and benefit administrators can make the change, determine if any fees will apply for these adjustments, and communicate the new benefit limit to employees." (Mercer LLC)


Same-Sex Spouses Challenge U.S. Curbs on Marriage
Excerpt: "The suit, which legal specialists described as the first serious challenge to the federal law signed by President Bill Clinton, contends that the statute has deprived the plaintiffs of benefits enjoyed by heterose.xual married couples. Those benefits include health insurance for spouses of federal employees, tax deductions for couples who jointly file federal income tax returns, and the ability to use a spouse's last name on a passport." (The Boston Globe)




Newly Posted Events



"Automatic Enrollment: The Future Is Now" Web Seminar
Nationwide on March 31, 2009
presented by SunGard Relius

COBRA and HIPAA Compliance Workshop
in Florida on April 8, 2009
presented by U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)

COBRA and HIPAA Compliance Workshop
in Florida on April 30, 2009
presented by U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)

COBRA and HIPAA Compliance Workshop
in Florida on May 14, 2009
presented by U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)

COBRA and HIPAA Compliance Workshop
in Florida on May 21, 2009
presented by U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)



Newly Posted Press Releases



MassMutual Hires New TPA Relationship Manager for Midwest Region
MassMutual



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Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings


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Benefits Administrator III
for General Atomics
in CA

Retirement Plan Consultant FT/PT with Columbus Based Actuarial Consulting Firm
for McHenry Advisers, Inc. Actuarial Services
in OH

Manager, 401(k) Marketing & Sales Support
for Bank of Oklahoma
in OK

Director, Customer Service (Call Center, Retirement Services)
for Prudential Financial
in CT

Customer Service Analyst (Sr Call Center Rep, Retirement Services)
for Prudential Financial
in CT

Resource Coordinator, WFM (Call Center, Retirement Services)
for Prudential Financial
in CT

Associate Manager, Customer Service (Call Center, Retirement Services)
for Prudential Financial
in CT

Associate Attorney - ERISA Litigation and Collection of Fringe Benefit Contributions
for Blitman & King LLP
in NY





EmployeeBenefitsJobs.com (Sponsor)

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EmployeeBenefitsJobs.com is where the best employers find the best candidates!

EmployeeBenefitsJobs.com is where the best employers find the best candidates!


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