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BenefitsLink Health & Welfare Plans Newsletter
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[Guidance Overview]
Have the 'HIPAA Police' Finally Arrived? HHS Launches Formal Audit Program
"The action is not unexpected; the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 ('ARRA') required OCR to conduct the audits. However, the announcement, along with ARRA's increased penalties for not complying with HIPAA, may cause covered entities and business associates to refocus on HIPAA's requirements."
(Quarles & Brady LLP)
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American Health Care Congress and Exhibition [Advert.]
Bringing together the health care community to discuss strategies aimed at more efficient and effective operation of our health system post-reform. December 5-6, 2011, Anaheim, CA.
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Can Retailers Revamp Primary Care?
"In-store medical clinics like those at Walmart—having established a beachhead with relatively healthy patients looking for convenient, low-cost care for simple problems—are eyeing a bigger prize, the millions of Americans with costly illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease."
(The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation)
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Republican Senators Press To Repeal Health Law's Insurance Fee
"John Barrasso of Wyoming and Orin G. Hatch of Utah have introduced a bill to repeal the fee, expected to raise $8 bil.lion in 2014 and $14.3 bil.lion by 2018. In remarks on the Senate floor on Wednesday, Hatch said the fee, which insurers and GOP lawmakers call a tax, 'is going to hurt employers and employees. It is going to be a drag on our economy, and it is going to depress wages.'"
(The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation)
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Why Few Employers Use Health Care Tax Credits
"The U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration's early numbers show that in the first year of the small business health insurance tax credit, approximately 228,000 small businesses claimed $278 mil.lion -- only about 14 percent of eligible businesses."
(Bloomberg L.P.)
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State Legislation and Actions Challenging Certain Health Reforms, Updated November 15, 2011
"In general many of the opposing measures, in 2010 and 2011: [i] Focus on not permitting, implementing or enforcing mandates (federal or state) that would require purchase of insurance by individuals or by employers and impose fines or penalties for those who fail to do so; [ii] Seek to keep in-state health insurance optional, and instead allow people to purchase any type of health services or coverage they may choose; [iii] Contradict or challenge policy provisions contained in the 2010 federal law."
(National Conference of State Legislatures)
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[Opinion]
Supreme Court Likely to Uphold Obamacare as Constitutional
"Opponents of the Affordable Care Act who believe the Supreme Court will declare the law unconstitutional are going to be disappointed next year when a majority of the nine justices vote to uphold it. It will likely be a 5-4 decision, but moderate conservative Anthony Kennedy will, I'm confident, recognize that without the law, the free-market system of health insurance, so highly valued by conservatives, will implode, sooner rather than later."
(iWatch News)
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Benefits in General; Executive Compensation
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[Guidance Overview]
2012 ISS U.S. Corporate Governance Policy Updates (PDF)
"[Shown in this alert] is a chart with highlights of changes to ISS Board and Compensation policies for the 2012 U.S. company proxy season (meetings beginning February 1, 2012)."
(Holme Roberts & Owen LLP)
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ISS Publishes 2012 Proxy Voting Policies
"The final version does not appear to be dramatically different from the proposed version released in October. Today, I will blog on three key issues relating to executive compensation . . . ."
(Michael S. Melbinger via Winston & Strawn LLP)
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Social Security Applications in Spanish Now Available on Website
"To make the process easier for Spanish speakers with limited English skills, the Social Security Administration has translated the applications for the following benefits: Retirement benefits . . . . Medicare benefits . . . . Prescription drugs benefits . . . ."
(PLANSPONSOR.COM)
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Press Releases
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