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Obama Administration Narrows Rules for Patient Health Care Appeals
"Specifically, the rule says that patients are allowed to appeal if an insurer declines to pay for care on the basis of a medical judgment. However, patients cannot appeal when the dispute is based, for instance, on mistakes involving diagnosis coding or disagreements about whether a patient should see a medical specialist outside the insurer's network of doctors."
(The Washington Post; free registration required)
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Economics Favor Retaining Health Coverage in Large Employer Plans, According to Benfield Report
"The Benfield report concluded, 'In addition to concerns over competing for valuable (and increasingly scarce) human capital talent, the math behind the decision is likely behind our finding that only 7% of jumbo employers are considering dropping active employee health care coverage in 2015 and beyond. An additional 7% of jumbo employers are considering dropping health care coverage, but will provide employee vouchers or supplemental compensation.'"
(Wolters Kluwer Law & Business)
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Health-Care Spending Waste: The International Edition
"Most Canadians and UK-ers say the top dollar/pound-waster is lack of responsibility by individuals for their own health. Consumers in the U.S. and six other countries put redundant paperwork at the top of the list."
(The Wall Street Journal)
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Employee Sues over Gender Change Benefits Denial
"Reuters reports that Alec Esquivel, a 41-year-old law clerk at the Oregon Court of Appeals who was born a woman, sued the state and its public employee benefits board claiming discrimination based on gender identity in what the news report said is the first lawsuit of this kind."
(PLANSPONSOR.COM)
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The Effects of Health Reform on Small Businesses and Their Workers
"We find generally positive effects of the ACA on small employers and their workers. Employers with fewer than 50 workers will experience substantial savings on health costs; employers with 50 to 100 workers will see a very small cost increase."
(Urban Institute)
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NIH Program Connects EHR Systems with Online Health Resource
"Because MedlinePlus Connect allows EHR systems to identify patient-specific education materials, the program could help eligible health care providers meet one of the requirements of the meaningful use incentive program . . . ."
(California HealthCare Foundation by The Advisory Board Company)
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Benefits in General; Executive Compensation
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[Guidance Overview]
GSA Increases Miscellaneous Expense Allowance for Relocations
"The GSA announced on June 16 that effective July 18, it will increase the lump sum it will pay for the miscellaneous expense allowance . . ., the figure by which it reimburses miscellaneous relocation-related expenses for which employees do not provide documentation."
(Thompson Publishing Group)
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Frequency of Shareholder Say on Pay: A Form 8-K Reminder
"We want to remind readers of the obligation to disclose in an 8-K/A the company's decision regarding how frequently it will offer the advisory Say on Pay vote, unless the company has already disclosed that decision in the initial 8-K filed after the annual meeting."
(Michael S. Melbinger via Winston & Strawn LLP)
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PSCA Releases Survey of Non-Qualified Plans
"The survey found non-qualified plans continue to be more common among large companies, with fewer than 10% of small companies (fewer than 500 employees) offering a non-qualified plan versus 70% of companies with 25,000 or more employees."
(PLANSPONSOR.COM)
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Press Releases
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