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December 2, 2011 Get Retirement News  |  Advertise  |  Unsubscribe  |  Past Issues  |  Search

Employee Benefits Jobs

Director of Plan Conversions
for Charles Schwab in OH

Junior Associate
for Baker & McKenzie LLP in CA

Mid-Level Associate
for Baker & McKenzie LLP in CA

Onsite Participant Counselor - Retirement Services
for Diversified in TX

Data Integration Director
for Diversified in NY

Pension Administrator
for TPA Firm in Northern New Jersey in NJ

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Webcasts and Conferences

Annual Women’s Retirement Symposium: A Lifetime Financial Journey: Helping Women Reach Retirement Security
in District of Columbia on December 6, 2011 presented by Women’s Institute for a Secure Retirement (WISER)


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HHS Unveils Medical Loss Ratio Rule
"According to an HHS press release, the rule will ensure that health insurance companies spend at least 80 percent of consumers' health insurance premiums on medical care rather than on income, overhead and marketing expenses." (The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation)


7th Annual Employer Health & Human Capital Congress   [Advert.]

Sponsored by World Congress

Find solutions to empower improved health outcomes, restructure benefits to achieve cost sustainability and implement measurable wellness and benefit designs that stand up to CFO-scrutiny. February 7-9, Washington, DC


Under Health Reform, Will Companies Drop Sick Employees?
"'For example, an employer might provide very generous coverage of preventive, wellness and health maintenance services, while imposing large cost-sharing requirements that high-risk individuals are likely to utilize, such as hospitalization.' Limiting the number of specialist visits and raising co-pays are all pretty great ways to scare sick people away from your health insurance plan." (The Washington Post; free registration required)

Business Interest Grows in Employee Wellness and Consumers' Health Choices
"Media outlets report on how corporations are mindful of 'healthy' opportunities." (The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation)

House Committee Votes to Repeal CLASS Act
"While some Democrats have argued for restructuring the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports Act (CLASS) and the White House opposes repealing the program, Republicans insist on scrapping it in its entirety, saying the law would be a long-term drag on the federal budget." (The Washington Times)

What Is the Impact of Proposed Health Reform Changes and Rising Health Care Costs on Your Business?
"Companies large and small are struggling to turn red balance sheets to black and recoup losses sustained over the last three years. Some employers fear that federally mandated health care reform may only add to their fiscal burden without alleviating any of the current financial strain." (Industrial Reporting, Inc.)

Catholic Groups Fight Contraceptive Mandate, but Many Already Must Provide Coverage
"[W]hile some insist that the rules, which spring from last year's health law, break new ground, many states as well as federal civil rights law already require most religious employers to cover prescription contraceptives if they provide coverage of other prescription drugs." (NPR)

Health Insurers and Employers Are Beginning To Embrace Defined-Contribution Model
"Within days of each other, a pair of regional health insurers last week began promoting their 'private insurance exchanges,' through which employers will give workers a fixed dollar amount and ask them to choose from a variety of coverage options — at various prices — from within the insurer's portfolio. Such defined-contribution strategies are increasingly being developed by insurers to help them retain clients, and are being explored by employers looking for greater predictability in coverage costs." (Atlantic Information Services, Inc.)

Health Care for a Changing Work Force: The Freelancers
"Today, the Freelancers Insurance Company . . ., which is wholly owned by the Freelancers Union (a nonprofit), has revenues of roughly $100 mil.lion and covers 25,000 independent workers and their family members in New York State, offering them premiums that the company calculates are more than a third below the open market rate." (The New York Times; free registration required)

Benefits in General; Executive Compensation

Two Updates on Compensation Clawbacks
"First, the SEC announced that the former Chairman and CEO of CSK Auto Corporation has agreed to return $2.8 mil.lion in bonus compensation and stock profits that he received while the company was committing accounting fraud to O'Reilly Automotive, which has since acquired CSK Auto. . . . This was the SEC's first SOX clawback case against an individual who was not alleged to have otherwise violated the securities laws." (Michael S. Melbinger via Winston & Strawn LLP)

Financial Literacy: The Investment of a Lifetime (PDF)
"Ensuring people have adequate financial literacy skills means building a foundation in reading and numeracy in school. But this is only the beginning. Studies show that financial literacy programs work best when they are well targeted and well timed - right before a financial decision is made." (Toronto-Dominion Bank Group)

Updated List of Employee Ownership Plans in Major Public Companies
This list, updated and released in December 2011, shows which of the 900 largest publicly traded companies (the S&P 500 and the S&P mid-cap 400) have various forms of employee ownership, including stock options, stock purchase plans, ESOPs, 401(k) plans, and more. (National Center for Employee Ownership)

Employee Ownership Update for December 1, 2011
NCEO Executive Director Loren Rodgers discusses Berkshire Hathaway's impending acquisition of employee-owned Omaha World-Herald Co.; the NCEO's revised list of employee ownership plans in large public companies; Oxford awards for job creation in employee ownership companies; and NCEO board nominations. (National Center for Employee Ownership)

Press Releases



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