[Guidance Overview]
Dependent Coverage Rule Causes New Health Insurance Benefit-Coordination Problems
"There is no sign of regulatory guidance on COB, as promised in the reform law, which took away plans' 'normal' criteria for being a dependent." (Thompson Publishing Group)

The 8th Annual World Health Care Congress(WHCC). April 4-6, 2011 (advert.)

The 8th Annual World Health Care Congress (WHCC) is World Congress' flagship event in which over 1,800 health care, government and corporate leaders formulate solutions to the challenges of health care cost, quality and delivery.

[Guidance Overview]
State Tax Issues under the Affordable Care Act
"If a group health plan covers employees in a non-conforming state with children who meet the federal, but not state, definition of an eligible dependent, the coverage is potentially taxable to the employees for state income tax purposes." (Proskauer Rose LLP)

The 'Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act' Reintroduced in the 112th Congress
"H.R. 676 . . . would replace today's private health insurers - and the Obama law's individual mandate, which is being challenged as unconstitutional - with a single, streamlined public agency that would pay all medical claims, much like Medicare works for seniors today." (Physicians for a National Health Program)

Health Care Spending Growth and the Future of U.S. Tax Rates
"The fraction of GDP devoted to health care in the United States is the highest in the world and rising rapidly." (National Bureau of Economic Research; paid subscription or individual purchase required to retrieve fulltext)

Who Tries to Find Objective Information on Health Care? Findings from the 2010 Health Confidence Survey (PDF)
"This analysis looks at who currently uses information on health cost, quality, and outcomes." (Employee Benefit Research Institute)

Video: The Latest Employer Strategies for Health Care Management
"A principal at Mercer . . . shares how employers' health care management strategies are evolving to reflect the growing consumer-driven movement working to cut costs and improve employee health." (Employee Benefit News; free registration required)

HHS Expects 2011 Early Retiree Reimbursement Costs to Be $3.6B
"The remaining $1.4 bil.lion of the $5 bil.lion fund authorized under last year's health care reform law would be distributed during fiscal 2012, HHS said as part of budget documents." (Business Insurance)

Joint Chiefs Support Rise in Health Care Fees for Military Retirees
"Anticipating opposition to its efforts to curtail Tricare costs, all six members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff took the unusual step on Monday of writing a communal letter to Congress expressing their support for the adjustments to military medical insurance fees for retirees." (The New York Times; one-time registration required)

Obama Administration to Propose Increase in Federal Unemployment Tax Act Wage Base for Employers
"The Obama Administration's proposal would increase the $7,000 wage base . . . to $15,000 - more than doubling it. Thus, an employer's maximum FUTA contribution per employee when combined with contributions paid into state unemployment funds would increase from a potential maximum of $434 to a potential maximum of $930." (McGuireWoods LLP)

Yearly Medicare Utilization of Generic Drugs Moves Past Brand Names
"Between 2011 and 2020, CMS will start phasing down the beneficiary coinsurance rate in the Part D coverage gap for generic drugs from 100% to 25%, through federal subsidies for the cost of these drugs and a reduction in the amount that qualifies beneficiaries to reach catastrophic coverage." (AISHealth; free registration required)

Five Reasons to Embrace Telework Week and to Let Employees Work from Home
"Telework Week is a great idea if it helps kick start a telecommuting program in your office. Here are a few reasons to embrace telwork according to WorkShifting: The Bottom Line, a white paper from Citrix [located at http://www.workshifting.com/downloads/downloads/Workshifting%20Benefits-The%20Bottom%20Line.pdf] . . . ." (CBS Interactive Inc.)

Eight Workplace Perks for New Parents
"From on-site daycare to flexible work hours to reimbursement for infertility treatments, family-friendly benefits improve employees' quality of life, which can strengthen loyalty to their employer . . . ." (Chicago Tribune)

Additional Health Care Reform Rulings Address Jurisdictional Issues Without Reaching Merits of Individual Mandate's Validity
"Given the uncertainty and the risks of noncompliance, . . . the continuing challenges to health care reform are not expected to have an immediate impact on compliance efforts by employers." (Thomson Reuters/EBIA)

[Opinion]
Is Ending Job Lock Fostered by Employment-Based Health Insurance a Job Killer or a Creator of Employment Opportunities?
"We should relieve employers of their employee health benefits burden, while ending job lock forever. Employees would never again have to worry about health insurance and the costs of it if we had an improved Medicare that covered everyone." (Politico via Physicians for a National Health Program)

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[Official Guidance]
Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2012
The target page provides links to all the documents, tables, and fact sheets related to the budget. (U.S. Office of Management and Budget)

[Guidance Overview]
ERISA Considerations for Severance Pay Policies Checklist (PDF)
"This Checklist outlines the advantages and disadvantages of maintaining a formal severance pay policy and of the policy complying with [ERISA]." (Practical Law Company, Inc.)

FDIC Proposes Incentive Pay Rules for Financial Institutions
"Proposed FDIC rules approved Feb. 7 would bar incentive pay that is 'excessive' or could lead to 'real financial loss' at financial firms with at least $1 bil.lion in assets." (Mercer LLC)

Changes Made to State and Local Pension and Retiree Health Care Benefits
The Web page provides links to compilations of information from NASRA, the National Conference of State Legislatures, the Center for State and Local Government Excellence, and the Pew Center for the States. (National Association of State Retirement Administrators)

Labor-Force Participation Rates of the Population Age 55 and Older (PDF)
"For those age 55 and older, the labor-force participation rate continued to increase even after the economic downturn of 2008-2009." (Employee Benefit Research Institute)

IRS Announces Upcoming Phone Forum on Form 5330
"The IRS has scheduled a free phone forum on the completion and processing for Form 5330, Return of Excise Taxes Related to Employee Benefit Plans, for March 24, 2011 . . . ." (Wolters Kluwer)

GM Set to Pay Hourly Workers at Least $4, 000 Bonus
"This is the largest profit-sharing bonus GM has ever given hourly workers represented by the United Auto Workers union." (Reuters)

US Department of Labor Releases Fiscal Year 2012 Budget Request
(U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA))

Women, Young People More Inclined to Seek Objective Health Care Information to Save Costs, Ensure Quality
(Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI))

The SPARK Institute Updates 403(B) Plans Information Sharing Best Practices
(SPARK Institute)

Administrator Is Certified To Industry Best Practices
(Centre for Fiduciary Excellence (CEFEX))

New Report: Companies Must Manage Employee Health -- Not Just Benefits
(Healthcare Performance Management Institute)

DATAIR Employee Benefit Systems, Inc.

Retirement & Estates Associate in AZ for Charles Schwab

Retirement Plan Operations Team Lead in TX for Charles Schwab

Retirement Plan Service Specialist in AZ for Charles Schwab

Plan Administrator Specialist in AZ for Pension Funds of Arizona

Client Service Plan Administrator in CA for San Diego Pension Consultants

"Virtual" Defined Contribution Pension Plan Administrator in ANY STATE for The Angell Pension Group, Inc.

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