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August 17, 2011 Get Retirement News  |  Advertise  |  Unsubscribe  |  Past Issues  |  Search

Employee Benefits Jobs

New Business Specialist
for BeneTrends, Inc. in PA

Managing Director - Pacific Northwest
for MassMutual Financial Group in MA

Retirement Plan Consultant
for Niles Lankford Group, Inc in MI

401(k) Administrator
for Pollard & Associates, Inc. in MD

DC Senior Client Service Associate
for Milliman in TX

Retirement Plan Consultant
for Sentinel Benefits & Financial Group in MA

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Webcasts and Conferences

Rekon Road Show Costa Mesa
in California on September 14, 2011 presented by 401(k) Rekon

What to Expect from an Employee Benefits Security Administration Investigation Webcast
Nationwide on August 24, 2011 presented by U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)


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[Official Guidance]
Text of IRS Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Notice of Public Hearing on Health Insurance Premium Tax Credit (PDF)
As published today in the Federal Register. "These proposed regulations provide guidance to individuals who enroll in qualified health plans through Affordable Insurance Exchanges and claim the premium tax credit, and to Exchanges that make qualified health plans available to individuals and employers." (U.S. Internal Revenue Service)


6th Annual Obesity and Wellness Congress   [Advert.]

Sponsored by World Congress

Convening providers, payers, employers and public purchasers, the 6th Annual Obesity and Wellness Congress will discuss preventative and collaborative solutions to reverse the nationwide epidemic of obesity.


[Guidance Overview]
IRS Issues Interim Guidance on Federal Income Tax Treatment of Annuity and Life Insurance Contracts with Long-Term Care Insurance Feature (PDF)
"The Notice requests public comment on several questions 'to assist in the development of further guidance' concerning the taxation of combination products." (Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP)

An Over-the-Counter Remedy for the Health Risk Assessment Headache
"Can [an employee be required] to take a health risk assessment ('HRA') as a condition of participation in a wellness program or group health plan? . . . This post [describes] some basic principles that employers can follow to determine what they can and cannot do in designing HRA incentives." (Verrill Dana, LLP)

How the Merger of Express Scripts and Medco Health Services May Affect Consumer Costs
"The planned acquisition of Medco would be the eighth merger for Express Scripts, which says every single deal has lowered costs for consumers. The company will likely emphasize that point to government regulators, who still need to approve this deal." (NPR)

New York State Employees' Union Accepts Wage and Benefits Concessions
"The ratification was a critical victory for Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat whose plan to close the state's budget gap relied in large part on a bet that state employees would be willing to stomach a freeze on wages and an increase in the cost of health benefits in return for safeguarding their jobs." (The New York Times; free registration required)


Register for our Exclusive Webcast   [Advert.]

Sponsored by ExtendHealth

Michele Levine, Director of Global Benefits, Avon Products, will provide information about how Avon leveraged the Extend Health Medicare exchange to deliver health care insurance choice, savings and satisfaction to its Medicare-eligible retirees. Register now.


Benefits in General; Executive Compensation

How the Debt Limit and Budget Negotiations Could Impact Health and Retirement Plans (PDF)
"This process may result in changes to spending under the last year's health care reform law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and, if tax reform is addressed as part of this process, changes in the tax treatment of retirement plans and employer-sponsored health care plans could also occur." (Groom Law Group)

EBSA Web Site for Employees and Employers: Health and Retirement Benefits After Job Loss
"Plant and business closings, downsizings, and reductions in hours affect employees in numerous adverse ways. Workers lose income, the security of a steady job and, often, the health and retirement benefits that go along with working full time. Dislocated workers may have many questions, some of them concerning health and retirement benefits." (U.S. Employee Benefits Security Administration)

Miami Declares 'Financial Urgency' as It Moves to Cut Worker Pay and Benefits
"The declaration gives unions for municipal workers two weeks to agree to contracts for the year that starts in October or be subject to actions imposed by the City Commission. Workers including police and firefighters absorbed about $80 mil.lion in reduced pay, health insurance and pensions in fiscal 2011." (Bloomberg L.P.)

Press Releases

Dietrich Launches Industry’s First Pension Risk Transfer Index
(Dietrich & Associates, Inc.)

ASPPA College of Pension Actuaries Announces 2012 Leadership
(American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries (ASPPA))

How Do You Stack Up Against the Best? HighRoads Launches HR Performance Diagnostic Scorecard
(HighRoads, Inc.)

John Hancock Launches Education Resource Website
(John Hancock Retirement Plan Services)

Pension Reform and Government Cost Cutting Increase Value of Company Benefits to Employees
(Mercer)

Employees' Poor Emotional Wellbeing is Obstacle to Wellness Effort
(ComPsych)

Open Enrollment 2011: Five Tips from Benz Communications for Communicating Benefits in an Uncertain Economy and Health Care Reform World
(Benz Communications)

Benefits Expert Leaves Aon to Launch Wellness Consulting Firm
(Kitchen Table Consulting)



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