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BenefitsLink Health & Welfare Plans Newsletter
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[Guidance Overview]
Agencies' Proposed Rules for Uniform Statements of Benefits Under PPACA
"The preamble to the proposed regulations acknowledges concerns raised about the ability of plans and issuers to provide SBCs by the statutory deadline, and requests comments on the feasibility of implementation within this timeframe."
(PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP)
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[Guidance Overview]
HHS's Temporary Relief for Stand-Alone HRAs
"Because an HRA is an account-based group health plan that limits a participant's available reimbursement for a plan year to the value of his or her HRA account, it is virtually impossible for an HRA to comply with the annual limit prohibition."
(Ballard Spahr LLP)
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[Guidance Overview]
HRAs Get Exemption from Annual Limit Waiver Process
"This class exemption ends most of the uncertainty surrounding application of the annual limit restrictions to HRAs—at least for plan years beginning before January 1, 2014."
(Thomson Reuters/EBIA)
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[Guidance Overview]
Seventh Circuit Rules That a Plan's Notice of Benefit Denial Did Not Comply with ERISA
"In this case, the Plan's denial letter merely stated that the plaintiff was not permanently disabled and thus not entitled to disability benefits under the Plan. Given the plaintiff's prior disability and attempt to return to work, this denial letter did not comply with ERISA's notice requirements."
(Stanley D. Baum, ERISA Lawyer Blog)
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More Organizations Offering Paid Time Off
"According to the report, 58% of responding companies have a PTO program. Of the 58%, most include vacation (96%), sick leave (92%), and personal days (86%). Forty-two percent include care for dependents."
(PLANSPONSOR.COM)
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Reasonable Health Insurance Design Reform Trumps In Massachusetts
"The Bay State's new law will enable its cities and towns to save as much as $100 mil.lion a year by allowing localities to change the design of their employee and retiree health plans, mostly by setting co-payments and deductibles to match those offered in the plans that the Massachusetts state government provides to state workers and retirees."
(Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation)
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[Opinion]
More Tax Dollars Should Not Be Funding Retiree Health Insurance
"The $5 bil.lion Early Retirement Reinsurance Program has provided cash to private employers and public pension programs nationwide for continuing their early retiree health care coverage through 2014. Companies don't have to demonstrate any financial need."
(www.NewarkAdvocate.com)
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Benefits in General; Executive Compensation
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Press Releases
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