To EmployeeBenefitsJobs.com To BenefitsLink home page

BenefitsLink Health & Welfare Plans Newsletter

November 1, 2011 Get Retirement News  |  Advertise  |  Unsubscribe  |  Past Issues  |  Search

Employee Benefits Jobs

Benefit Implementation Consultant
for VALIC in TX

RFP Strategist
for Prudential in CT

Pension Administrator
for The Finway Group in IA

Investment Consultant
for Milliman in NY

Post Your Job on EmployeeBenefitsJobs.com

View All Jobs

RSS feed for jobs RSS Feed: All Jobs


Webcasts and Conferences

Rekon Road Show- King of Prussia
in Pennsylvania on November 30, 2011 presented by 401(k) Rekon


We also publish the BenefitsLink Retirement Plans Newsletter (free): Subscribe

San Francisco Health Care Law Exemption Rises for Highest-Paid Employees
"Managerial, supervisory or confidential employees who earn an annual salary of least $84,051 in 2012 are exempt from a San Francisco law that requires employers to spend a certain amount of money on their employees' health care coverage." (Business Insurance)

GAO Report on Private Health Insurance: Implementation of the Early Retiree Reinsurance Program
"Under PPACA, ERRP is scheduled to end on January 1, 2014. Congress asked us to review the implementation of ERRP. In this report we address: (1) CCIIO's process for implementing ERRP; (2) program expenditures and the types of plan sponsors that had ERRP reimbursements approved as of June 30, 2011; and (3) how plan sponsors intend to use ERRP reimbursements." (U.S. Government Accountability Office)

Thinking of Sending Your Employees to Health Care Exchanges?
"CVS Caremark's executive vice president and chief medical officer . . . thinks that companies would be short-sighted to discontinue healthcare coverage for employees." (Wolters Kluwer Law & Business / CCH)

Fact Sheet: Obama Administration Takes Action to Reduce Prescription Drug Shortages in the U.S.
"The Executive Order is one in a series of steps that will help address the shortage of prescription drugs and ensure patients have access to the lifesaving medicines they need." (The White House)

'Competition' from Exchange Plans Won't Incite Employers to Desert Health Benefits, Optimists Say
"In other words, employers still think their employees will value employer-provided health insurance more than what will be offered on exchanges, so they will keep insuring workers." (SmartHR)

Health Data Shows Massachusetts Most Insured State; Texas Ranks Last
"Small Area Health Insurance Estimates for 2009, released earlier this month, are the only figures measuring insurance coverage for all counties." (Governing)

Wellness Program Shows Drastic Improvements in Employee Population
"Last week, Meritain Health, a provider of self-funded health and wellness plans, found that 89% of participants had improved blood pressure and 77% had reduced LDL cholesterol." (Employee Benefit News)

Doctors Estimate $6.8 Bil.lion in Unnecessary Medical Tests in 2009
"[The lead author] notes, for example, that the study didn't evaluate the cost of additional testing or procedures that result from an abnormal blood test reading result or imaging scan, even though in the absence of symptoms or risk factors the follow-up may be unnecessary and even cause harm." (The Washington Post; free registration required)

More Professional Women Choosing Time Over Money, According to Survey
"Two of 3 of women reported they would prefer to have more free time than a bigger paycheck, and 2 of 5 said they would be willing to accept less money for more flexibility." (USA TODAY)

House Approves Bill Narrowing Eligibility to Receive Certain Health Care Subsidies
"On Thursday the House of Representatives voted 262–157 in favor of a bill that would modify how adjusted gross income is calculated for the purposes of qualifying for certain healthcare programs under the Affordable Care Act." (Littler Mendelson P.C.)

Some Help Getting Reimbursed for OTC Drugs Through Your Flexible Spending Account
"The whole thing has gotten so complicated that many employees appear to have given up seeking reimbursement for OTC medicines (possibly the whole point in the first place, since tax revenue increases for the government if people put less in their accounts in anticipation of not using that extra money for OTC medications)." (The New York Times; free registration required)

Final Data Collection Standards for Race, Ethnicity, Primary Language, Se.x, and Disability Status Required by ACA
"The standards . . . apply to population health surveys sponsored by HHS, where respondents either self-report information or a knowledgeable person responds for all members of a household." (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services)

Industry Group Survey Results and Commentary on Leave Administration
"The vast majority of our survey respondents indicated that they handle employee leave internally. Fewer than 17% of the respondents outsourced leave administration." (Perkins Coie LLP)

State Actions to Implement Health Insurance Exchanges, Updated October 2011
"Health Insurance Exchanges are, for most states, new entities that will function as a marketplace for buyers of health insurance, giving them choices for health coverage.' (National Conference of State Legislatures)

[Opinion]
American Benefits Council Comment Letter Regarding IRS NPRM on Health Insurance Premium Tax Credit (PDF)
"The Council supports the interpretation reflected in the preamble and recommends that future rulemaking implementing Code section 4980H affirm that self-funded plans may qualify as minimum essential coverage." (American Benefits Council)

[Opinion]
Implications of Wal-Mart Decision to Reduce Health Coverage Offerings
"About 169 mil.lion Americans were covered by employer-based insurance plans as of last year, according to the Census Bureau. Ours is the only developed nation to deliver health coverage in this way. Most others offer public insurance plans or allow for tightly regulated individual policies sold by private companies." (Los Angeles Times)

Benefits in General; Executive Compensation

[Guidance Overview]
Recent Compensation Trends in Mergers and Acquisitions and Section 409A (PDF)
"This article discusses the traps for the unwary created by Section 409A of the [IRC] with respect to current trends in change-in-control compensation for public company executives and the structure of private company acquisitions." (Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP)

Non-Employee Director Compensation across Industries and Size (PDF)
"Our findings confirm a general 'rule of thumb' in assessing director compensation programs: compensation levels vary primarily based on company size, while the structure of compensation is influenced by both company size and industry." (Frederic W. Cook & Co., Inc.)

Appeals Court Clarifies USERRA Reinstatement Requirements
"Reinstating a financial adviser returning from military leave to a position with the same pay structure but less desirable client accounts and fewer opportunities to earn commission than his preservice job violates [USERRA], the 2nd US Circuit of Appeals recently held." (Mercer LLC)

New Edition of The Decision-Maker's Guide to Equity Compensation
The revised and expanded second edition of this popular book updates the existing chapters and adds new ones on performance awards and on equity compensation in LLCs. (National Center for Employee Ownership)

Press Releases



BenefitsLink.com, Inc.
1298 Minnesota Avenue, Suite H
Winter Park, Florida 32789
Phone (407) 644-4146
Fax (407) 644-2151

Jeanette Hull, News Editor
David Rhett Baker, J.D., Editor and Publisher
Lois Baker, J.D., President
Holly Horton, Business Manager

Copyright © 2011 BenefitsLink.com, Inc. All rights reserved.

All materials contained in this newsletter are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of BenefitsLink.com, Inc., or in the case of third party materials, the owner of that content. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content.

Links to Web sites other than those owned by BenefitsLink.com, Inc. are offered as a service to readers. The editorial staff of BenefitsLink.com, Inc. was not involved in their production and is not responsible for their content.

More useful links: