Retirement Plan Manager
for Confidential in WI

Retirement Plan Consultant
for CDM Retirement Consultants, Inc. in MD

Director, ERISA Services
for Pension Consultants, Inc. in MO

Investment Consultant
for Pension Consultants, Inc. in MO

Retirement Plan Administrator
for MVP Plan Administrators, Inc. in NC

Senior Actuarial Analyst - ACG
for Diversified in MA

Assistant Account Manager (Employee Benefits TPA)
for Zenith American Solutions in WA

Defined Benefit Complex Calculations Associate
for Prudential in CT

Director, Business Intelligence
for Prudential in CT, NJ

401(k) Plan Administrator
for Alliance Benefit Group - Pentegra in NC

Senior-Level ESOP Professional
for Blue Ridge ESOP Associates in VA

Director Pension Operations (Nat'l Benefits TPA)
for Zenith American Solutions in ID, IL

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Health Care Reform
in Maryland on April 27, 2012 presented by Thomson Reuters / EBIA

COBRA Compliance for Group Health Plans
in Maryland on April 26, 2012 presented by Thomson Reuters / EBIA

HIPAA Privacy & Security
in Maryland on April 26, 2012 presented by Thomson Reuters / EBIA

HSAs, HRAs, and Consumer-Driven Health Care
in Maryland on April 25, 2012 presented by Thomson Reuters / EBIA

ERISA Compliance for Health & Welfare Plans
in Maryland on April 25, 2012 presented by Thomson Reuters / EBIA

Cafeteria Plans
in Maryland on April 24, 2012 presented by Thomson Reuters / EBIA

Text of Final Regs on Establishment of Exchanges and Qualified Health Plans; Exchange Standards for Employers
"This final rule: (1) Sets forth the minimum Federal standards that States must meet if they elect to establish and operate an Exchange, including the standards related to individual and employer eligibility for and enrollment in the Exchange and insurance affordability programs; (2) outlines minimum standards that health insurance issuers must meet to participate in an Exchange and offer qualified health plans (QHPs); and (3) provides basic standards that employers must meet to participate in the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP)." (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)

Prevention & Wellness Conference: Sustainable Improvements in Population Health   [Advert.]

Develop a plan for engaging, efficient and measurable wellness and prevention. Improve population health outcomes through prevention initiatives based on data and best practices from leading corporations, health plans and wellness thought leaders.

Health Insurance Exchange Rules Issued Today; 'State Flexibility' Highlighted
"The Department of Health and Human Services today released many of the rules for health insurance exchanges, which include specifics about state functions and responsibilities." (Kaiser Health News)

HHS Actuarial Value Bulletin Addresses Treatment of High-Deductible Health Plans Linked to HSAs and HRAs (PDF)
"Although this Bulletin only addresses how actuarial value may be determined for the individual and small group markets, it may have important implications for plan sponsors that offer health savings accounts (HSAs) or health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) linked to high-deductible health plans." (Buck Consultants)

HHS Proposes Actuarial Value Calculator for Qualified Health Plans
"HHS intends to develop a publicly available Actuarial Value (AV) calculator that plans would use to determine AV. The calculator would be developed using a set of claims data weighted to reflect the expected standard population in the individual and small group markets for the year of enrollment. Plans would input information on cost-sharing parameters." (Wolters Kluwer / CCH)

Health Care Law's Preventive Care Rules Snare Insured Patients
"Generally, ... if your coverage went into effect after health care reform passed on March 23, 2010, the full cost of preventive care — things like annual checkups, flu shots and cancer screenings like mammograms and colonoscopies — should be covered without a co-pay or co-insurance. There are still some health plans that are exempt from covering preventive care in full, ... so be careful. If your plan hasn't made huge changes to its benefit package since health reform took effect, it has "grandfathered" status and is not required to comply with this provision of the health reform law[.]" (The Billings Gazette)

Three Tips to Avoid Intermittent FMLA Abuse
"While employers do have an obligation to allow covered employees to take FMLA leave when they qualify, employees also have obligations that must be met before the FMLA leave must be granted. By ensuring that employees meet their obligations, employers can reduce intermittent FMLA abuse simply by making employees follow the rules every time." (HR.BLR.com)

Employers Cannot Offer Inducements for Genetic Information
"[An EEOC] Opinion Letter stated: 'EEOC guidance states that a wellness program is "voluntary" as long as the employer neither requires participation or penalizes employees who do not participate.' The EEOC did not take a position on whether or not Title I of the ADA permits the employer to offer financial inducements to employees to participate in wellness programs which would also include disability-related inquiries." (Standard-Times)

Some Organizations Adding Pet Insurance to Benefits Packages
"[P]et insurance sales grew dramatically after the late 1990s, spiked by the establishment of a well-care rider, Internet sales and employers offering pet insurance via the workplace. In 2003, the restaurant chain, Chipolte Mexican Grill Inc., first offered pet insurance as a voluntary benefit to its salaried employees. From the start, the employer contributed $10 per month for one pet." (Human Resource Executive Online)

Does Universal Coverage Improve Health? The Massachusetts Experience
"In 2006, Massachusetts passed health care reform legislation designed to achieve nearly universal coverage through a combination of insurance market reforms, mandates, and subsidies that later served as the model for national health care reform. Using individual-level data ... [this report provides] evidence that health care reform in Massachusetts led to better overall self-assessed health." (The National Bureau of Economic Research; paid subscription or individual purchase required to retrieve full text)

Health Care Exchange Rules to Be Set
"The Obama administration is about to carry out a major provision of the new health care law by issuing standards for health insurance exchanges, the markets where consumers and small businesses will be able to buy coverage from competing private plans." (The New York Times; free registration required)

How Long Does a Retiree Health Benefits Transition Take: Implementation Milestones
"If you are planning to move your retirees to coincide with the change to the RDS taxable status, this article will help you understand what you need to do to make the transition before the change takes place on January 1, 2013." (The Extend Health Blog)

Generic Medication Program Targets Pharmacy Benefits Costs
"A maintenance medication wrap-around program gaining ground among some self-funded middle-market employers demonstrates that when it comes to health benefits, sometimes it costs less to pay a bigger share." (Business Insurance; free registration required)

The Health Care Reform Survey 2011-2012 (PDF)
"While other surveys and publications have found that employers seem reluctant to be the first to drop coverage, reshape work hours, reduce coverage or reduce company financial support for certain benefits, this survey indicates that respondents believe that other employers WILL take some of these actions.... Many of the survey findings reflect a certain amount of employer confusion and uncertainty." (Willis)

New Data Show Health Care Costs Are Stabilizing
"[H]ealth spending has actually been stabilizing for several years, and the system we all love to hate is finally re-entering the economy's normal orbit after three decades of skyrocketing growth.... This is health care simply self-correcting, slowly and tediously, nearly a decade after the failure of the great managed care experiment of the 1990s." (The Health Care Blog)

State Legislation and Actions Challenging Certain Health Reforms, 2011-2012
"In response to the federal health reform law, now known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and separate state reform initiatives, some members of at least 47 state legislatures have proposed legislation to limit, alter or oppose selected state or federal actions.... The language varies from state to state and includes statutes and constitutional amendments, as well as binding and non-binding state resolutions." (National Conference of State Legislatures)

How to Cut Your Health Care Costs
"[P]eople out of work are learning that coverage sold on the so-called individual market is typically not as robust as their work-based insurance was. And those still covered through employers are seeing more high-deductible plans, according to a November survey from human-resource consultant Mercer. Whatever your situation, here are seven tips to help you save on medications, health insurance, doctors' bills and more." (The Wall Street Journal)

The Latest Health Care-Related Legislation
Summary and status of various bills introduced and pending before U.S. Congress. (AHIP Coverage)

Treasury/IRS Notice 2012-25: Public Comment Invited on Recommendations for 2012-2013 Guidance Priority List (PDF)
"The Treasury Department's Office of Tax Policy and the Service use the Guidance Priority List each year to identify and prioritize the tax issues that should be addressed through regulations, revenue rulings, revenue procedures, notices, and other published administrative guidance." (Internal Revenue Service)

Elimination of Benefits Following Spin-Off Did Not Violate ERISA Absent Intent to Interfere with Benefits
"A company's decision to spin-off a division and implement a no-hire policy, that effectively ended the right of transferred employees to pension and retiree medical benefits, did not violate ERISA section 510 because it was not specifically intended to interfere with the employees' benefit rights, [according to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals]." (Wolters Kluwer Law & Business / CCH)

Know Your Role: Am I a "Settlor" or a "Fiduciary"?
"When making decisions about benefit plans, plan sponsors should at least take some time to consider what role they are playing.... [O]ften times the decisions can be a mix of both settlor and fiduciary functions and it is important to know which hat you are wearing for each decision." (Fox Rothschild LLP)

Deficits Push N.Y. Cities and Counties to Desperation
"Even as there are glimmers of a national economic recovery, cities and counties increasingly find themselves in the middle of a financial crisis. The problems are spreading as municipalities face a toxic mix of stresses that has been brewing for years, including soaring pension, Medicaid and retiree health care costs." (The New York Times; free registration required)

The Vitality Group Hires Industry Veteran Leesa Tori as Vice President, Product Innovation
(The Vitality Group)

Rekon Intelligence and July Business Services to Present Local Conferences for Financial Advisors
(401(k) Rekon)