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January 20, 2011 Retirement Plans Newsletter  |  Advertise  |  Unsubscribe

House Passes Repeal of Health Care Reform Law – "[T]he House action marks the beginning of efforts to amend the law. Republicans and Democrats are united, for example, on stripping a provision from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that requires employers to furnish 1099 reporting statements if they do more than $600 of business with a corporate vendor starting in 2012." (Business Insurance)


Medicare: What's New and What's Changing Next? (advert.)

Sponsored by International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans

As a result of Health Care Reform, Medicare will be changing in significant ways. This webcast will discuss both the mundane changes seen every year and the transformative changes being made as a result of PPACA. Register Now!


[Official Guidance]
Text of 'Present Law and Background Information on Federal Excise Taxes' – Find information on Excise Taxes Dedicated to Health-Related Trust Funds on pp. 24-30 and General Fund Excise Taxes Related to Health Care on pp. 38-50. (U.S. Congress Joint Committee on Taxation)

[Guidance Overview]
IRS Asks for More Comments on Applying Code § 105(h) to Insured Group Health Plans – "Beyond an extended compliance date, Notice 2011-1 provides some insight on where the IRS may be headed in applying the Code § 105(h) nondiscrimination requirements to insured group health plans." (Deloitte via BenefitsLink.com)

[Guidance Overview]
Debit Card Reimbursement of Over-the-Counter Drugs – "[L]ast month, in Notice 2011-5, the IRS modified its previous position on debit card reimbursement of OTC drugs. Effective January 16, 2011, the IRS will permit the continued use of health FSA and HRA debit cards to buy OTC medications at drug stores and pharmacies, at non-health care merchants that have pharmacies, and at mail order and web-based vendors that sell prescription drugs . . . ." (Faegre & Benson LLP)

[Guidance Overview]
California Mandates Paid Leave for Organ or Bone Marrow Donation – "California law added a new provision requiring certain private employers to provide paid leave for employees serving as organ or bone marrow donors. In mandating paid leave, this provision is a significant departure from other protected leaves. These new requirements warrant the attention of California employers." (Nixon Peabody LLP)

Union Drug Plans Tighten Their Belts (PDF) – "Over the past five years, union-sponsored prescription drug plans have moved from a generous philosophy of providing the broadest coverage at the lowest cost to members to a more pragmatic approach based on balancing cost with care, a new Medco study reveals." (Employee Benefit News; one-time free registration required)

Labor Department's EBSA Releases Regulatory Agenda – "The semi-annual regulatory agenda of [EBSA] reveals a continued emphasis on providing guidance to implement [PPACA] . . . ." (Deloitte via BenefitsLink.com)

House Votes for Repeal of Health Law in Symbolic Act – "[T]he next steps will be much more difficult, as [Republicans] try to forge consensus on alternatives emphasizing 'free market solutions' to control health costs and expand coverage." (The New York Times; one-time registration required)

Value-Based Purchasing Guide Website Is Now Available to the General Public – "The Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) Guide is a tool developed by the National Business Coalition on Health to support the critical role purchasers and purchaser-led coalitions play as change agents in improved health and health care. The Guide serves to educate such stakeholders on how they may implement value-based purchasing programs in their own organizations and local communities." (National Business Coalition on Health)

Credit Suisse Offers Enhanced Benefits to U.S. Employees with Domestic Partners and Their Families – "[E]ffective January 1, 2011, the company's benefits package includes enhanced health and welfare benefits for same-s.ex and opposite-sex domestic partners and their dependents to equalize the tax treatment related to the cost of benefits not available to them under federal law. In addition, the company is offering new transgender benefits including sex-reassignment surgery and related prescription drug treatment under its medical plan." (PLANSPONSOR.COM)

[Opinion]
'Multiple Fictions' Drive Opposition to Health Law – "[T]he health reform debate is not about a fictional war between market-based health insurance and government regulation. It is about whether to provide adequate subsidies to cover the uninsured and whether to begin a process of leveraging change in the delivery and payment systems . . . ." (Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation)


Complete Benefits Law Guidance from Law Journal Press (advert.)

Sponsored by ALM

The nation's workforce and health care system are constantly evolving and so are the legal issues. Law Journal Press helps you handle any benefits law question with up-to-date, authoritative books on all aspects of the field.


Benefits in General; Executive Compensation

[Guidance Overview]
Buyer Not Liable for Pension Benefits Under Seller's Top-Hat Plan – "Executives who lost their supplemental pension benefits when their employer sold all company assets to an unrelated party have no right to recover benefits from the buyer, the 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled . . . ." (Mercer LLC)

[Guidance Overview]
Form 5500 Preparers Not Required to Obtain Tax Return Preparer Identification Number – "The IRS has listed many forms that are not subject to the PTIN requirements. These forms include Form 5500, Form 5300, Form 5307, Form 5310, Form 8717, the Form 1099 series, the W-2 series, and Form 2848." (Wolters Kluwer)

Press Releases

409A: The 100 Most Frequently Asked Questions Published by ALI-ABA ALI-ABA (American Law Institute-American Bar Association)

Newport Group Appoints New VP, Retirement Services Newport Group, The

Statement by Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis on House Vote to Repeal Affordable Care Act U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)

Between 4–14% More U.S. Households "At Risk" of Running Short of Money in Retirement Due to 2008–2009 Recession Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI)

New White Paper Helps Financial Professionals Get the Most out of Retirement Plan Provider Searches Principal Financial Group

Transamerica Retirement Services Ranks as a Top 401(k) Provider in Boston Research Group’s 2010 Retirement Advisor Satisfaction Study Transamerica Retirement Services

Keenan 2010 Health Care Benefits Strategy Survey Profiles Challenges and Responses From California Organizations Representing 231 Hospitals Keenan

New Report: 129 Million Americans With A Pre-existing Condition Could Be Denied Coverage Without New Health Reform Law U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

Changes to Executive Compensation Programs Focus on Improving Alignment with Organizational Performance and Managing Perceived Risks, Mercer Survey Shows Mercer

Jeff Adair Joins Tegrit Technologies Tegrit

MAXIMUS and Connecture to Co-Present Solutions for Easy and Accessible Insurance Shopping in a Health Insurance Exchange MAXIMUS and Connecture

UNIFI Companies Retirement Plans is Now Ameritas Retirement Plans Ameritas Retirement Plans


Employee Benefits Jobs

Retirement Plan Administrator
for PenSys, Inc. in CA

Senior Conversion Specialist
for Northern California Third Party Administration Firm in CA

Contract Compliance Specialist
for The Newport Group in NC


Webcasts and Conferences

Best Practices to Increase Participation in Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plans
Nationwide on January 26, 2011 RCG Executive Compensation & Benefits Group

COBRA for Rookies: Understanding the Basics to Avoid Liability
Nationwide on February 17, 2011 EBIA / Thomson Reuters

Health & Welfare Plans Legislative Update
Nationwide on February 17, 2011 TRI-AD

Retirement Plans Legislative Update
Nationwide on January 27, 2011 TRI-AD


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