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"Nothing Exceeds Like Excess: Correcting Excess Amounts" Web Seminar
Nationwide on May 15, 2012 presented by SunGard Relius

"SunGard Relius Form 5500 and 401(k) Plan Workshops" - Charlotte
in North Carolina on May 23, 2012 presented by SunGard Relius

"SunGard Relius Form 5500 and 401(k) Plan Workshops" - Cincinnati
in Ohio on May 23, 2012 presented by SunGard Relius

"SunGard Relius Form 5500 and 401(k) Plan Workshops" - Portland
in Oregon on May 23, 2012 presented by SunGard Relius

New IRS Regs Impose Fees on Self-Insured Health Plans and Health Insur.ance Policies
"The fee is equal to $1 per covered person for the first year and $2 per covered person for the second year. The fee increases each year thereafter in an amount equal to the increase in the projected per capita amount of the National Health Expenditures most recently released by the Department of Health and Human Services before each October 1." (Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP)

Health care reform -- get the information you need now! June 20 - NYC   [Advert.]

Register now and learn about the latest developments including current enforcement efforts. This seminar is designed to give you the information you need to move forward in addressing the issues. Special discount for BenefitsLink readers!

IRS Issues Guidance on Fees Employers Must Pay to Fund Patient Research Institute
"The annual fees are due July 31 of the year following the year of assessment. Thus, the first payments and reports must be submitted by July 31, 2013. Information regarding the fees must be reported on Form 720, which may be submitted electronically." (Ballard Sphar LLP)

IRS Proposes Regulations on Fees to Fund Patient-Centered Outcomes Research
"The proposed regulations ... offer guidance regarding who must pay the fee, the amount of the fee, how the fee is reported, and other matters.... [The fee] may be most significant with respect to health FSAs and HRAs, since failing to adequately integrate one of these account-based plans with a sponsor's self-insured major medical coverage (or to restrict the plan to excepted benefits) can result in effectively doubling the amount of the fee." (Thomson Reuters/EBIA)

Fourth Circuit Determines Appeal Not Available from District Court Remand to Plan Administrator
In a case of first impression, the Fourth Circuit followed the majority of other Circuits in determining that "a district court order remanding [a claim denial] to an ERISA claims administrator for reconsideration does not constitute a final decision" and held that the Court therefore had no jurisdiction to rule on Aetna's appeal of that remand. (Dickens v. Aetna Life Ins. Co.) (Justia.com)

New York District Court Rules No Title VII Retaliation Claim for Employee Who Received Late COBRA Notice
"This former employee had a difficult case to make under Title VII for post-employment retaliation, given that she was not seeking future employment. She apparently did not make a claim for COBRA penalties for the late election notice.... [C]ourts generally hold that a plan administrator can be liable for the penalties regardless of whether the qualified beneficiary was injured or prejudiced, although some courts have declined to award penalties where the qualified beneficiary suffered no actual harm from the late election notice." (Thomson Reuters/EBIA)

FTI Consulting: ERISA Breakfast Series 2012   [Advert.]

Join leading industry and regulatory experts in lively discussions about the changing legal and financial landscape for ERISA fiduciaries, counsel and asset managers. For more information, visit our web site.

Nine Tips for Creating a Culture of Health at the Workplace
"64 percent of employers surveyed indicated that wellness initiatives are among the top three most effective tactics for controlling health care costs.... To mark Global Employee Health and Fitness Month, Healthyroads offers the following tips to help companies begin building a fit company:" (MarketWatch)

Smaller Employers Increasingly Explore Partial Self-Funding of Health Benefits
"Many large, Fortune 1000 companies already self-insure their employee benefits, and the concept is far from new. But the option for smaller groups has received more attention lately, and brokers ... said they've seen an uptick in inquiries about partial self-funding models as means of creating a bit more flexibility in an otherwise inflexible, tightening marketplace." (North Bay Business Journal)

California Regulators Consider New Restrictions on Use of Stop-Loss Health Insur.ance Policies
"The California Department of Insur.ance is pushing legislation that calls for new rules on a type of company self-insur.ance that's growing more popular as small businesses seek alternatives to ever-rising premiums for conventional health coverage.... Normally, larger employers tend to self-insure because they would have the financial resources to pay for expensive medical claims. Now insurers are pursuing smaller customers with new plans designed to limit employer payouts for big claims through stop-loss policies." (FOX40)

'Tailored Network' Would Give New York State Employers More Say with Health Plans
"Calling it the first integrated network of its kind in the [western New York] region, officials say employers will for the first time have a seat at the table in creating customized health-care plans for their workers. They say tailored network health insur.ance products have significant cost savings for members who utilize a designated network of physicians and hospitals. 'It's re-framing how you think about the dollars available to spend on health care[.]'" (Buffalo Business First)

Capping Benefits and Rising Costs of Employer-Sponsored Retiree Health Coverage
"Companies often say spiraling health-care costs force them share the pain with retirees. But that isn't the whole story. Many employers have been shifting more costs to retirees even as they receive billions of dollars in government subsidies to offset their own costs. Knowing what's really driving up the amounts you pay can help you anticipate what's ahead." (The Wall Street Journal)

Missouri House of Representatives Declares Federal Health Care Reform Law Is Void and Unenforceable in the 'Show Me' State
"Federal officials could be charged with a misdemeanor if they take steps in Missouri to enforce the law, and state workers would not have authority to implement any provision in the health care overhaul. The House health measure ... now moves to the state Senate." (St. Joseph News-Press)

Enhance Incentives for Employees Through 'Individualizing'
"What incentives and rewards most motivate workers to do their best? ... The latest answer is 'individualization,' according to [a study] by St. Louis-based Incentive Research Foundation, which analyzed existing research, scanned incentive industry and business publications, and sought input from industry leaders." (Human Resource Executive Online)

UnitedHealth Reports $1.4B 1st Quarter Profit, a 3% Increase; Prepares to Increase Premiums on Californians Up to 17%
"UnitedHealth Group, which runs the fifth-largest health insur.ance company in California, reported $1.39 bil.lion in profits in the first quarter of 2011, a 3% increase over last year, as it raises premiums on 84,000 Californians with small business coverage as much as 17% on May 1st. The insur.ance company is funding the fight against a ballot initiative proposed by Consumer Watchdog Campaign in California that would require health insur.ance companies to publicly disclose and justify spending and profits when applying for a rate increase, and get approval before any rate change takes effect." (Consumer Watchdog)

Employees Want a Say on the Boss's Pay
"Here and there this proxy season, executive pay is coming under attack from the people who actually own public companies, which is to say, stockholders.... One potentially powerful class of shareholders—employees—seems to be rousing, too. And, to the degree that employee-shareholders band together to have their say on the boss's pay, they can be a formidable force." (The New York Times; free registration required)

American Airlines to Make Its Case Against Union Contracts Before Bankrup.tcy Judge
"American wants to eliminate 13,000 union jobs—about one in every four union workers—freeze or terminate pension plans, curb health benefits, reduce time off, and impose many other cuts. The airline's unions say company leaders are unfairly blaming workers instead of doing something to make American grow and bring in more revenue." (The Sacramento Bee)