[Guidance Overview]
Health FSAs: Growing Stronger, Facing Changes
Excerpt: "Health care reform arrived in March 2010, via the Affordable Care Act (ACA), but the effect on Health FSAs will arrive in two future stages: January 1, 2011, and January 1, 2013. Based on the findings of a recent survey, Health FSAs appear strong enough to endure the changes."
(Infinisource)

[Guidance Overview]
'ObamaCare' and The ABCs Of 'Grandfathered' Plans
Excerpt: "The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has divided the world of group health plans in two -- 'new' group health plans adopted after March 23, 2010, that must conform to the requirements of the new law, and 'grandfathered' plans, which are largely exempt from the new law's requirements."
(Winston & Strawn)

Missouri Voters Reject Federal Healthcare Coverage Mandate
Excerpt: "During party primaries yesterday, they voted overwhelmingly in favor of Proposition C, a measure designed to block the state's participation in the landmark health care law that President Obama signed earlier this year."
(National Public Radio)

Missouri Referendum's Result Sets Stage for Challenge to Federal Healthcare Reform
Excerpt: "Missouri's Proposition C, which passed with 71% of the vote Tuesday, establishes a state law that says Missouri can't force people to pay a penalty or fine if they fail to carry health-insurance coverage."
(Wall Street Journal)

How Local Governments are Addressing Retiree Health Care Funding
Excerpt: "This new issue brief finds that the economy has slowed the ability of local governments to address long-term funding of their retiree health care obligations. The brief follows up on a 2009 survey in which 206 local governments indicated they were likely to adopt a long-term strategy to strengthen their retiree health care funding . . . ."
(Center for State & Local Government Excellence)

What Do We Really Know About Consumer-Driven Health Plans?
Excerpt: "Surveys show that employers offering a CDHP increased from less than 5 percent in 2005 to between 12-15 percent by 2009. Growth in offer rates can be seen across all firm sizes." (Employee Benefit Research Institute
(EBRI))

[Guidance Overview]
The Impact of Dodd-Frank on Public Companies, Including Executive Compensation Disclosure Rules
Link to 16-page report.
(Haynes and Boone)

[Guidance Overview]
The Financial Reform Bill's Impact on Executive Compensation, Corporate Governance, and Disclosure (PDF)
28 pages; presentation materials.
(Morgan Lewis)

The New Class Warfare: Private Vs. Public Worker
Excerpt: "Over the last decade, politicians . . . who sought to reform public-sector benefits, particularly pensions, argued that promises made to government workers in economic boom times no longer were affordable. But the urgency was lacking. That has changed . . . . "
(Los Angeles Times)

The EBRI Retirement Readiness Rating: Retirement Income Preparation and Future Prospects
Excerpt: "The baseline 2010 Retirement Readiness Rating finds that nearly one-half (47.2 percent) of the oldest cohort (Early Baby Boomers) are simulated to be 'at risk' of not having sufficient retirement resources to pay for 'basic' retirement expenditures and uninsured health care costs. The percentage 'at risk' drops for the Late Boomers (to 43.7 percent) . . . ." (Employee Benefit Research Institute
(EBRI))

Ruling Against California Ban on Same-S.ex Marriage Could Lead to Federal Precedent on G.ay Marriage
Excerpt: "Judge says the same-s.ex marriage ban was rooted in 'moral disapproval' and violates constitutional rights to equal protection and due process. Opponents vow to appeal all the way to the Supreme Court."
(Los Angeles Times)

G.ay Couples Navigate Steep Retirement Challenges Despite Some Relief
Excerpt: "Since January 2010, employers must let a non-spouse beneficiary, such as a domestic partner, roll inherited retirement savings into an individual retirement account without paying taxes immediately, just as the tax code has allowed spouses to do." (Workforce Management
(free registration required))

[Opinion]
Opinion: Marriage Is A Constitutional Right
Excerpt: "The judge easily dismissed the idea that discrimination is permissible if a majority of voters approve it; the [California] referendum's outcome was 'irrelevant,' he said, quoting a 1943 case, because 'fundamental rights may not be submitted to a vote.'"
(New York Times; free registration required)

ACO Success: Actuarial, Medical & Operations Mgmt
in California on September 28, 2010
presented by MCOL

Answers to the Most Frequently Asked ESOP Questions
Nationwide on September 1, 2010
presented by National Center for Employee Ownership

Communicating Your ESOP
Nationwide on November 5, 2010
presented by National Center for Employee Ownership

Creating a Company of Owners
in Illinois on October 27, 2010
presented by National Center for Employee Ownership

Don't Do That With Your ESOP
Nationwide on September 14, 2010
presented by National Center for Employee Ownership

Effective ESOP Communications
in Illinois on October 25, 2010
presented by National Center for Employee Ownership

Effective Wellness Programs in Employee Owned Companies
Nationwide on November 9, 2010
presented by National Center for Employee Ownership

ESOP Distribution Policies
Nationwide on October 12, 2010
presented by National Center for Employee Ownership

ESOP Feasibility
Nationwide on December 7, 2010
presented by National Center for Employee Ownership

Fiduciary Implications of Stock Drop Lawsuits in 401(k)s and ESOPs
Nationwide on September 16, 2010
presented by National Center for Employee Ownership

Grandfathered Plan Status: Weighing the Costs and Benefits
Nationwide on August 24, 2010
presented by EBIA / Thomson Reuters

Handling the Repurchase Obligation - Legal
Nationwide on November 30, 2010
presented by National Center for Employee Ownership

Handling the Repurchase Obligation - Planning
Nationwide on December 1, 2010
presented by National Center for Employee Ownership

Handling the Repurchase Obligation - Valuation
Nationwide on December 2, 2010
presented by National Center for Employee Ownership

Hearing on Specific Issues Related to Lifetime Income Options for Retirement Plans
in District of Columbia on September 14, 2010
presented by U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)

Incentive Plans that Support Employee Ownership
Nationwide on September 21, 2010
presented by National Center for Employee Ownership

Plan Design Features That Support Ownership Culture
in Illinois on October 26, 2010
presented by National Center for Employee Ownership

Running an Effective Board
Nationwide on October 14, 2010
presented by National Center for Employee Ownership

S Corporation ESOPs - Administrative Issues
Nationwide on November 17, 2010
presented by National Center for Employee Ownership

S Corporation ESOPs - Legal Issues
Nationwide on November 16, 2010
presented by National Center for Employee Ownership

S Corporation ESOPs - Valuation Issues
Nationwide on November 18, 2010
presented by National Center for Employee Ownership

Using ESOPs as an Acquisition Strategy
Nationwide on September 23, 2010
presented by National Center for Employee Ownership

What You Need to Know as an Internal ESOP Fiduciary
Nationwide on December 9, 2010
presented by National Center for Employee Ownership

Click to post your webcast or conference

US Departments of Labor and Treasury to Hold Hearing on Specific Issues Related to Lifetime Income Options for Retirement Plans
U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)

Retirement Income Adequacy: How Big Is the Gap?
Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI)

What Is Known About Consumer-Driven Health Plans?
Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI)

Principal Launches Fee Disclosure Website
Principal Financial Group

Social Security Board of Trustees: Long-Range Financing Outlook Remains Unchanged
Social Security Administration

"The CPA Handbook to Defined Benefit Plans" is Now Available
Executive Benefits Design Group

Inspira Enhances Automatic Rollover Capabilities
Inspira

Employee Benefits Consulting Company Provides Guidance on Retirement Plan Risk Management
Employee Benefit Solutions

Work on Employer Sponsored Retirement Plans? - The "Must Have" Designation
The Retirement Advisor University

Wellco Leads Quest for Flat Health Costs
Wellco Corporation

Tentative Settlement Reached in General Dynamics 401k Lawsuit
General Dynamics Corporation

Click to post your press release

Retirement Senior Communications Officer
for SDCERA - San Diego County Employees Retirement Association
in CA

Regional Sales Director: Michigan, Indiana, Ohio
for DailyAccess Corporation
in IN, MI, OH

Retirement Plan Specialist - Mobile, AL; Dallas, TX; Detroit, MI; Kansas City, MO; or Boston, MA
for DailyAccess Corporation
in AL, MA, MI, MO, TX

Experienced Retirement Plan Administrator
for Bucks County PA TPA Specializing in Contribution Consulting for Closely Held Businesses
in PA

Retirement Plan Specialist
for Ambrose Employer Group, LLC
in CT

Click to post your job on EmployeeBenefitsJobs.com | View all jobs | RSS feed of all jobs

• View Today's Active Message Threads
• Using the Web for Employee Benefits Research (hypertext article)
• Employee Benefits Library

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:

• How to Sponsor an Issue
• Privacy Policy
• Archive of Previous Newsletters