Health & Welfare Plans Newsletter March 12, 2010 |
|
EBIA's In Person seminars provide education on employee benefits topics to professionals, including TPAs, attorneys, benefits consultants, human resources managers, plan administrators, insurance professionals, and accountants. For information about CE credit, course materials, speakers, locations, and agenda details, and to register, please visit EBIA's In Person Seminars.
Sponsored by Employee Benefits Institute of America (EBIA)
|
[Guidance Overview]
Additional Extension of COBRA Premium Subsidy Eligibility Period
Excerpt: "To comply with TEA, plan administrators will need to amend their COBRA notices to reflect the new COBRA subsidy eligibility period end date (i.e., March 31, 2010). Plan Administrators will also need to provide notice to individuals who experienced a reduction in hours of employment between September 1, 2008 and March 31, 2010 followed by an involuntary termination of employment between March 2, 2010 and March 31, 2010 regarding their second opportunity to elect COBRA coverage."
(Snell & Wilmer L.L.P.)
[Guidance Overview]
Extended and Expanded COBRA Premium Assistance Subsidy with Further Extension Anticipated
Excerpt: "On March 2, 2010, President Obama signed the Temporary Extension Act of 2010 [which provides short-term extensions of several federal programs, including] the second extension of the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) premium assistance subsidy. The COBRA premium assistance subsidy was passed in February 2009 as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), and amended by the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (the DOD Act)."
(The Segal Group, Inc.)
Out-of-Pocket Health Care Expenditures: A Comparison of Government Estimates (PDF)
17 pages. Excerpt: "The purpose of this article is to examine annual aggregate CE, MEPS, and NHEA out-of-pocket health care expenditures for comparable categories from 1996 to 2006 to determine whether they are consistent across the three data sources."
(U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Health Coverage in the States: Reports on How Health Reform Will Help
Excerpt: "In these reports, we discuss major gaps in state health coverage systems -- gaps that allow insurers to discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions, to charge premiums that are unaffordable for families and businesses, and to make obtaining care difficult even for those who have insurance. We also discuss the significant ways that health reform will address these gaps, providing help to residents across the states."
(Families USA)
[Opinion]
Health Reform Myths
Excerpt: "[R]eform still has to run a gantlet of misinformation and outright lies. So let me address three big myths about the proposed reform, myths that are believed by many people who consider themselves well-informed, but who have actually fallen for deceptive spin."
(The New York Times; free registration required)
The World Congress 7th Annual World Health Care Congress | April 12 - 14, 2010 | Washington, DC
The MUST attend event for health care government and corporate leaders to formulate business strategies in a new era of reform and market competition!
Sponsored by World Congress
|
Executive Compensation; Benefits in General
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Responds to Federal Pay Reports in the Media
Excerpt: "The Bureau of Labor Statistics has weighed in on a recent USA Today article that said federal employees, on average, earn more than their private sector counterparts in more than eight out of ten occupations. In looking at the USA Today claims, BLS concluded that most of the data cited in the article comes from two different Bureau of Labor Statistics surveys. The agency said that comparing estimates across surveys is 'complex' and would require an analysis of the differences in definitions and survey designs."
(FederalNewsRadio.com)
Webcasts and Conferences
401(k) Plan Fees and DOL Audits: Why it's More Important Than Ever to Know What You're Paying
Nationwide on March 18, 2010
presented by TRI-AD
5500's & EFAST 2 Guidelines
in Connecticut on March 24, 2010
presented by National Institute of Pension Administrators-CT Chapter
Press Releases
Fidelity Continues to Add New Employers to Benefits Platform
Fidelity Investments
Retirement Plan Advisory Group Expands Tracking to ETFs
Retirement Plan Advisory Group
ERISA Fiduciary Advisors Selected by Cypress Cove 403(b) Plan
ERISA Fiduciary Advisors, Inc.
Newly Posted Employee Benefits Jobs
Director of Payroll and Benefits
for United States Sugar Corporation
in FL
National Sales Director
for My Retirement Account Services
in KY
Defined Contribution Plan Administrator
for Lurie Besikof Lapidus & Company, LLC
in MN
Benefit and Compensation Manager
for PorticoHR
in IA
Sr. Institutional Manager
for Bank of Oklahoma
in OK
|
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 email has been published by:
BenefitsLink.com, Inc.
1298 Minnesota Avenue, Suite H
Winter Park FL 32789
(407) 644-4146
Fax: (407) 644-2151
Jeanette Hull, News Editor
jeanette.hull@benefitslink.com
David Rhett Baker, J.D., Editor and Publisher
david.baker@benefitslink.com
Copyright 2010 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: