Health & Welfare Plans Newsletter |
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| October 16, 2009 \ Compliance \ Costs \ Administration \ Design \ Policy | ||
International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (Advert.)
Get compliant with International Foundation e-learning classes. The DOL’s new FMLA regulations make major changes in the way you have to administer FMLA leave. Are you compliant? Avoid the penalties, legal action and headaches of noncompliance with the International Foundation’s FMLA e-learning course. Take the 2-hour course in one sitting, or a few minutes at a time—whatever is more convenient for you. |
[Guidance Overview]
Summary of and Suggested Action Steps to Address the GINA Interim Final Regulations
10 pages. Excerpt: "Employers whose plans include wellness, health risk assessments and/or disease management will be most affected by the new rules. Detailed action steps will depend on the specifics of the employer's health care program, but some general action steps will apply to many group health plans: . . ." (Gallagher Benefit Services)
[Guidance Overview]
Some Cautionary Advice About Cash-Outs of Unused Leave or Paid-Time-Off
Excerpt: "[I]f your PTO policy allows your employees to cash out up to $10,000 of accumulated PTO each year without restriction, they will have additional income each year equal to the total amount of PTO they could have cashed out -- even if they do not actually cash out any of their PTO! If you have maintained a PTO policy of this sort, you should have it reviewed and analyzed immediately." (Chang Rutherford & Long)
[Guidance Overview]
GINA Impacts Employer Health Plans and Use of HRAs (PDF)
Excerpt: "While consideration may be given to eliminating requests for genetic information from any HRAs entirely, employers may alternatively consider bifurcating the HRA so as to eliminate requests for genetic information where premium rewards or rebates are offered, while offering a separate voluntary HRA that would request genetic information (without any rewards, and after open enrollment). While we understand that any design changes at this time of year may be disruptive to employers' health plan administration as well as the open enrollment process, these changes may nonetheless be necessary when such a significant regulation impacting wellness programs is issued so late in the year." (Aon Consulting)
[Guidance Overview]
Regulations on Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Affect Use of Health Risk Assessments, Other Programs (PDF)
Excerpt: "Interim final regulations have the weight of final regulations but are subject to future modification. Unfortunately for plan sponsors, the interim regulations leave little time for coming into compliance." (Buck Consultants)
Commuter Benefit Offerings Increase
Excerpt: "Despite concerns about cutting costs during the down economy, most employers are maintaining -- and in some cases increasing -- tax-free commuter benefits as part of their compensation packages, according to TransitCenter's 2009 Commuter Impact Survey." (PLANSPONSOR)
Making Sense of High-Deductible Health Plans
Excerpt: "If you and I are spending more of our own money on health care, then we are likely to ask doctors and hospitals many more questions upfront and be more careful about which tests and procedures we receive. After all, until we exhaust that high annual deductible, it's our money on the line. Employers are pushing these plans because they can save the company as much as 20 percent, compared with traditional insurance." (New York Times; free registration required)
Smoking Bans Reduce Heart Attacks and Disease
Excerpt: "Bans on smoking in places like restaurants, offices and public buildings reduce cases of heart attacks and heart disease, according to a report released Thursday by a federally commissioned panel of scientists." (New York Times; free registration required)
Wellness Incentives Could Create Loophole to Healthcare Coverage Requirement
Excerpt: "[S]o-called wellness incentives could introduce a colossal loophole. In effect, they would permit insurers and employers to make coverage less affordable for people exhibiting risk factors for problems such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke. " (Washington Post; free registration required)
BenefitsLink Newsletter (Advert.)
We Have Your Target Audience Advertise your company's products and services right here in the BenefitsLink newsletter. Our subscribers care about employee benefit plan compliance, administration, costs and design. Roles include in-house benefits directors and administrators, TPAs, consultants, attorneys, trust officers, auditors and investment managers. Your ad will show both your banner and a paragraph of text -- more exposure than you'll find anywhere else. And, of course, a clickable link to any page on your web site. Contact Mary Hall for details. |
Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General
[Guidance Overview]ERISA Section 510: The Setting Is Ripe For Claims
Excerpt: "With layoffs continuing into the second half of the year, the setting is ripe for an increase in claims by employees who believe their discharge was motivated by their employers' desire to reduce or avoid benefit plan expenses. And section 510 claims are not necessarily made in a vacuum. They can come as part of a general wrongful discharge claim, age discrimination claim, or a whistleblower action where the employee also alleges the employer attempted to interfere with ERISA-protected rights." (Chang Rutherford & Long)
Webcasts and Conferences
149th Meeting of the Advisory Council on Employee Welfare and Pension Benefit Plansin District of Columbia on November 3, 2009
presented by U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)
Annual Plan Administration Webinar
Nationwide on November 3, 2009
presented by Actuarial Consultants, Inc.
Fundamentals of 401(k) Plans Webinar
Nationwide on November 11, 2009
presented by Actuarial Consultants, Inc.
(Click to post your webcast or conference)
Press Releases
IRS Announces Pension Plan Limitations for 2010Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
Workers Worry More about Financial Security Than Health Insurance
Prudential Financial, Inc.
Suemori & Inouye, Inc. Is Certified To Industry Best Practices
Centre for Fiduciary Excellence (CEFEX)
Premier Consulting Associates Contracts with Benefit Informatics to Offer New Health Plan Analysis and Reporting Solutions to Clients
Benefit Informatics
(Click to post your press release)
Employee Benefits Jobs
Senior Retirement Consultant/Relationship Managerfor Cammack LaRhette Consulting
in MA, NY
Pensions Specialist
for Nationwide
in OH
Manager, Qualified Plans
for Travelport
in ANY STATE, GA
(Click to post your job opening | View all jobs |
RSS feed of all jobs )
EmployeeBenefitsJobs.com (Sponsor)
(Click on banner to learn more.)
| Where the best employers find the best candidates! |
Handy Links:
- View Today's Active Message Threads
- Using the Web for Employee Benefits Research (hypertext article)
- Employee Benefits Library
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