DC/DB Administrator
for NICHOLAS PENSION CONSULTANTS in CA

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The Real Cost and Issues of Moving Pension Risk Webcast
Nationwide on November 16, 2011 presented by Pensions & Investments

Impact of New York's Marriage Equality Act on Employee Benefit Plans
"Employers with New York state income tax withholding and reporting obligations need to review the impact of this law on their benefit plans and work with their payroll personnel or administrator to ensure proper state income tax withholding for benefits provided to same-s.ex spouses of New York employees." (Fisher & Phillips LLP)

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Senator Alleges Political Favoritism in Early Retiree Rinsurance Program
"Almost half of the ERRP payments HHS has approved are for state and local governments, according to a report the Government Accountability Office released Monday. Unions also controlled a large share of the funds.'Rather than rewarding politically connected constituencies, the remaining funds in the insurance program for early retirees should be used to assist employers with providing insurance coverage,' [Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) said.]" (The Hill)

Potential Conflicts on NIH-Governed U.S. Health Guideline Panels
"[S]ome experts say the panels — while less conflicted than their predecessors — are still too close to the drug industry. At least eight members of the obesity panel, seven on the cholesterol panel and five on the hypertension panel are taking money in various forms from companies that could profit from their recommendations." (New York Times; free registration required)

Hawaii State Liabilities Climb By 60 Percent in Two Years
"Part of the reason for the spike in costs is because the state has among the most generous health benefits in the nation." (Hawaii Reporter)

The Role of Prevention in Bending the Health Care Cost Curve (PDF)
"The following overview outlines several promising approaches targeted in the first round of funding for the [Prevention and Public Health Fund]. It enumerates the benefits that these interventions can produce for both health and cost containment . . . ." (Urban Institute)

Rising Health Costs Lead Companies to Drop Part-Time Benefits
"Wal-Mart's recent decision to cut benefits for new, part-time employees may be part of a trend, as companies grapple with higher health costs." (National Public Radio)

Religious Groups Want Relief from Birth Control Mandate
"Faith-based health providers got a chance to vent about new federal rules that require them to offer prescription contraceptives as part of their health insurance plans at a House subcommittee hearing [on November 2]." (National Public Radio)

Many Companies and Governments Receiving Federal Subsidies for Retiree Health Care Coverage
The Associated Press reports that the retiree medical plan of the United Auto Workers is the largest beneficiary, having received $200 mil.lion. (AP via the New York Times; free registration required)

Health Literacy and America's Health Insurance Plans: Laying the Foundation and Beyond (PDF)
Explains the approaches that 27 health plans have taken to providing health and benefits information for consumers. (America's Health Insurance Plans)

U.S. Military Retirees Fret About Healthcare Fees
Joe Davis, director of public affairs for the Veterans of Foreign Wars, said the Obama administration's proposal to require a $200 annual payment by military retirees for otherwise free Tricare health care coverage 'is being perceived by the military, those in uniform today, by their families and all the retirees as a total breach of faith . . . I mean an absolute, 100 percent breach of faith.'" (Reuters)

Supreme Court Ruling on Mandated Health Insurance Could Be Political Earthquake
"If the court strikes down the mandate, [Republicans will have] achieved a huge victory over Obama's signature domestic accomplishment. If it's upheld, they will face a rejection by the Supreme Court but can use the defeat as an argument to elect Republicans to the White House and to win majorities in Congress, which would allow them to repeal the law legislatively." (POLITICO.com)

Health of U.S. Workforce Continues to Decline, Driving Up Employer Costs
"The unhealthy behaviors of the U.S. workforce now cost employers an average of $623 per employee annually, according to the Thomson Reuters Workforce Wellness Index." (Reuters)

PBMI Survey Finds Reduced Prescription Drug Coverage And Improved Mail Pricing Common Among Employers in 2011
"Plans using a four-tier design increased from 17% to 25% between 2010 and 2011 and nearly 50% of large employers (more than 20,000 employees) now have a four-tier plan design." (Employee Benefit News)

Denver Voters Reject Paid Sick Time Ordinance
"By a margin of 66,719 votes (64.02%) against to 37,498 votes (35.98%) in favor, Ballot Initiative 300 — the Denver Paid Sick and Safe Time Ordinance, failed." (Colorado Employer's Law Blog)

Firms to Charge Smokers, Obese More for Health Care
"[W]hile workers mostly like to see an employer offer smoking cessation classes and weight loss programs, too few are signing up or showing signs of improvement. (Reuters)

Taxing Health Benefits Would Make Budget Problem Worse, Not Better
"[E]liminating the tax exemption reduces health care coverage for millions of Americans and would increase long-term federal spending obligations, driving millions out of their existing coverage into federally subsidized coverage . . . [A]s more employers drop coverage as a result of these changes, economies of scale inherent in the employer-sponsored system will be lost." (Reps. Joe Courtney and Tom Cole, via Roll Call)

High Roads' Comments on Summary of Benefits and Coverage Regs, Uniform Glossary Requirement (PDF)
"Much of the information required in the SBC is already present in the annual enrollment communication material that employers provide to their employees. . . . [T]he uniform glossary is meaningless for participants in a group health plan because it is not specific to plan provisions. There may be terms in the glossary that do not apply to a specific plan and thus may cause employees added confusion." (High Roads)

Observations on Important Benefits-Related Items in Treasury and IRS Priority Guidance Plan
A nice list of principal items in the 2011-12 PGP that are of interest to benefits practitioners, with brief comments. (Miller Chavalier)

Year-End Troop Return Triggers Benefit Obligations Under USERRA
"Last month President Obama announced that the remaining 40,000 or so American troops in Iraq would be returning home by December 31 of this year; it is also expected that he will announce an additional troop draw-down from Afghanistan. For U.S. employers, this means that it is time to get reacquainted with benefit reinstatement rights under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA)." (E is for ERISA)

Five Priority Areas in Executive Remuneration Before an Initial Public Offering
"As stock market indices recover, the number of companies completing initial public offerings (IPOs) is increasing, and some observers predict the number of US IPOs may return to pre-recession levels." (Mercer Select)

Bipartisan Bill Would Let U.S. Postal Service Tap Retirement Fund Surplus to Help Pay Health Care Costs
"The agency has struggled with falling mail volumes due to the Internet and the recession, as well as a massive annual payment to prefund retiree health benefits imposed by Congress in 2006." (Reuters via the New York Times; free registration required)

Squeezed Middle Classes to Keep Working 'Until Age 70'
"It is not just the soaring cost of living which is triggering the delay. Many blame the fact that they are constantly having to bail out their grown-up children at an age when they presumed they would be financially independent." (This is Money)

Integrating Absence Management Programs Helps Reduce Costs and Improve Productivity
(Aetna)

Advisor Reacts to DOL Investment Advice Rule
(Francis Investment Counsel)

Stopping Elderly Fraud Cold: States, Doctors, Financial Planners, Others To Launch National Hotline November 10th To Fight Swindlers Targeting Older Americans
(Investor Protection Trust (IPT))

Lincoln Financial Group Introduces Retirement Plan Solution for Small-to-Mid-Sized Businesses
(Lincoln Financial Group)

New Genworth Study Reveals Americans in State of Financial Planning Inertia and Are Unprepared for Long Term Care, Impact to Women Far Greater
(Genworth Financial, Inc.)

It’s ‘Cool’ To Work For McGraw Wentworth
(McGraw Wentworth)

Most U.S. Employers Have Restored 401(k) Matching Contributions, Towers Watson Analysis Finds
(Towers Watson)