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December 19, 2011 Get Retirement News  |  Advertise  |  Unsubscribe  |  Past Issues  |  Search

Employee Benefits Jobs

Retirement Plan Administrator
for Bates & Company, P.A. in FL

Employee Benefits Paralegal/Paraprofessional
for Willis North America in LOCATION OTHER THAN U.S., ANY STATE, CT, DC, DE, MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, TN, VT

Senior Benefits Consultant - Defined Contribution
for ERP Actuaries & Consultants in NY

Client Service Manager
for Liazon Corporation in NY

Director II, Legal Product Management
for Fidelity Investments in TX

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Webcasts and Conferences

"1099-R: An Ongoing Challenge" Web Seminar
Nationwide on January 13, 2012 presented by SunGard Relius

"ERPA Test Review Part I" Web Seminar, A 3-part program
Nationwide on January 4, 2012 presented by SunGard Relius

"ERPA Test Review Part II" Web Seminar, A 3-part program
Nationwide on January 9, 2012 presented by SunGard Relius

"Practical Guide to Plan Fee Disclosures Workshop 2012" - Atlanta
in Georgia on January 20, 2012 presented by SunGard Relius

"Practical Guide to Plan Fee Disclosures Workshop 2012" - Charlotte
in North Carolina on January 19, 2012 presented by SunGard Relius

"Practical Guide to Plan Fee Disclosures Workshop 2012" - Dallas
in Texas on January 18, 2012 presented by SunGard Relius

"Practical Guide to Plan Fee Disclosures Workshop 2012" - Denver
in Colorado on January 17, 2012 presented by SunGard Relius

"Practical Guide to Plan Fee Disclosures Workshop 2012" - Houston
in Texas on January 19, 2012 presented by SunGard Relius

"Practical Guide to Plan Fee Disclosures Workshop 2012" - Kansas City
in Kansas on January 20, 2012 presented by SunGard Relius

CFDD 2012 Advisor Conference: Outcomes Based Consulting, Higher Margin Business & Increasing Efficiency
in Illinois on October 22, 2012 presented by Center for Due Diligence

The Trusted Advisors: Insights into the Latest Trends Within the Defined Contribution Industry
in New York on January 18, 2012 presented by IOMA


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[Official Guidance]
Text of HHS Bulletin Proposing Definition of 'Essential Health Benefits'
"This bulletin only relates to covered services. Plan cost sharing and the calculation of actuarial value are not addressed in this bulletin. . . . We intend to propose that [Essential Health Benefits] be defined by a benchmark plan selected by each State. The selected benchmark plan would serve as a reference plan, reflecting both the scope of services and any limits offered by a 'typical employer plan' in that State." (Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services)


Nat'l Health Benefits Conf & Expo (HBCE) Jan.31-Feb.1, Clearwater Bch, FL   [Advert.]

Sponsored by Health Benefits Conference & Expo (HBCE)

Dr. Oz praises books from speakers - hear from IBM, Sprint, Intel, Yahoo!, L.L. Bean, First Energy Corp., governmental employers, universities, more. Low cost, high quality!
More info and complete program: www.HBCE.com Ph: 941-484-1430 info@HBCE.com


HHS Avoids Backlash By Allowing Flexibility On Essential Benefits
"By allowing states the flexibility to make key decisions, the administration avoided a "political hot potato" regarding essential benefits — the medical benefits insurers must cover under the U.S. health care." (Kaiser Health News)

State Benchmarks to Define 'Essential Health Benefits' under Affordable Care Act
"By granting states the discretion to define EHB in this manner, the Obama administration has sidestepped one of the more controversial and logistically thorny features of the Affordable Care Act." (E is for ERISA)

Book Review: 'Health Care Reform' by Jonathan Gruber
"'Health Care Reform' is an attempt to distill the 1,900-page Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act signed into law by President Obama in 2010 into a common-sensical, easy to understand book in graphic-novel form less than a tenth of the length." (The Boston Globe)

[Guidance Overview]
Can FMLA Leave Be Involuntary?
"A federal court hearing an FMLA interference case has sidestepped deciding whether it is legal for an employer to place an employee on involuntary FMLA leave." (Business Management Daily)


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


[Guidance Overview]
HHS Finalizes CO-OP Program Regulations
"According to the regulatory impact analysis in the preamble to the regulations, only a few health insurance choices in the country are currently offered by entities that are primarily focused on meeting the needs and preferences of consumers, as determined directly by consumers or their elected representatives (accounting for a little over 1% of the total enrollment in the private insurance market)." (Thomson Reuters/EBIA)

[Guidance Overview]
US Airways, Inc. v. McCutchen: Third Circuit Logic Fails to Hang Together
"In McCutchen, the Third Circuit panel went out of its way to hold that the adjective 'appropriate' in ERISA section 502(a)(3) could be utilized to import all manner of 'equitable' defenses without regard to the terms of the equitable lien by agreement, which is the 'equitable relief' that 'appropriate' describes." (Health Subrogation Blog)

Outsiders May Revolutionize Employee Benefits
"A look back at some benefits issues in 2011 offer a glimpse into possible innovations in the healthcare field that could positively impact employers and employees alike." (Human Resource Executive Online)

Michigan Governor Signs Bills Offering State Workers More Benefit Options
"Michigan Governor Rick Snyder signed two bills to change the way the state manages retiree healthcare. In addition to changing retiree healthcare, the bills will cut the state's long-term unfunded liability by one-third (from $14.5 bil.lion to $8.9 bil.lion)." (PLANSPONSOR.COM)

Nebraska's City of Bellevue's Costly Carry-Over Time Still Vexing
"Under a long-standing policy, . . . City of Bellevue employees have been allowed to bank all their unused vacation and cash it out at their current salary. Most employees have waited until retiring to cash out." (The Omaha World Herald)

Step-by-Step Guide to Connecticut's Paid Sick Leave
"The Paid Sick Leave law goes into effect Jan. 1, making Connecticut the first and only state to require employers to provide paid sick leave." (New England Business Media)

Counting Paid Time Off As FMLA Leave? Tell Employee You're Running Them Concurrently
"Smart employers make sure that employees understand that's how it works. That way, employees won't run out of leave and lose their jobs because they didn't realize the clock was ticking." (Business Management Daily)

A Sabbatical Your Employer Might Actually Like
"We're seeing that allowing sabbaticals impacts retention numbers for companies, loyalty, and creativity and innovation. People come back better able to contribute." (The Wall Street Journal)

The Independent Payment Advisory Board: In 2013, this Entity Will Have Authority to Curb Medicare Spending If Growth Exceeds Targets
"Arguments for and against IPAB hinge on several key issues — including the degree to which decisions about saving money in Medicare are so political that they should be made outside the context of the day-to-day operations of Congress. The arguments don't necessarily correspond with divisions between the political parties, because Democrats are divided on their support for IPAB. The brief concludes that IPAB's unclear fate will likely be determined by the Supreme Court's decision on the ACA or the outcome of the 2012 elections." (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation)

[Opinion]
Why Mandated Health Insurance Is Unfair
"Its constitutionality aside (that'll be decided soon by the Supreme Court), is a mandate a good idea? The short answer is no. There is nothing that can be achieved with a mandate that can't be better achieved by a carefully designed system of tax subsidies." (The Wall Street Journal)

Benefits in General; Executive Compensation

[Guidance Overview]
Year-End Employee Benefit Plan Reminders
"As year-end approaches, employers should review their employee benefits plans to make sure they have been updated for any changes in the law or for any changes that have been implemented this year. In addition, you may need to send out participant notices, or to restate your plan by January 31, 2012." (Polsinelli Shughart PC)

10 Lessons for Success When Launching a New Benefits Enrollment System
"As employer groups that have gone through the process before know, some hiccups are normal. For the human resource benefits manager, the best way to ensure a smooth implementation of a new system is to understand the realities of such an implementation and to manage your own expectations — and those of senior management and employees — accordingly." (Human Resource Executive Online)

Ford Plant Closing Affects St. Paul, Minnesota
"About two-thirds of the plant's workers can transfer out of state, though the company doesn't yet know how many will do so, said Marcey Evans, a Ford spokeswoman. The buyout packages for those eligible for retirement are a $50,000 bonus for eligible production employees and a $100,000 bonus for skilled trades." (Pioneer Press)

Press Releases



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