|
Satisfaction Levels Up for CDHPs, Down for Traditional Plans
"Satisfaction levels are rising among Americans enrolled in consumer-driven health plans (CDHPs), while they are declining among those in traditional health plans, according to a new report by the nonprofit Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). In particular, satisfaction rates for out-of-pocket costs appear to be trending downward among those with traditional coverage and upward for those with consumer-driven plans, according to the report."
(Society for Human Resource Management)
|
New 'Direct Primary Care' Model Is Neither Insurance Nor Health Plan
"A new model of health care delivery—direct primary care—could be deja vu for some Californians, a retreat to the past when insurance wasn't a part of the health care equation. Direct primary care emphasizes prevention and a reduction in the use of 'downstream services'—treating symptoms rather than the problems themselves. The new approach involves monthly payments for primary care—similar to the way insurance covers health care, but without the insurance. Instead of filing claims through an insurer, participants—individuals and employers—pay a monthly membership fee directly to their health care providers."
(CaliforniaHealthline)
|
U.S. Health Care System Wastes $750B a Year
"The U.S. health care system squanders $750 billion a year—roughly 30 cents of every medical dollar—through unneeded care, byzantine paperwork, fraud and other waste, the influential Institute of Medicine ... If banking worked like health care, ATM transactions would take days, the report said. If home building were like health care, carpenters, electricians and plumbers would work from different blueprints and hardly talk to each other."
(The New York Times; free registration required)
|
Three Tips for HR Departments When Helping Older Employees Make Medicare Choices
"Although most companies have done away with group sponsored retiree medical plans, it does not preclude them from becoming an information center for prospective retirees. Employees (or parents of employees) approaching age 65 are often inundated with information on Medicare, Medicare Supplements, Part D and Advantage plans. This information overload leads to questions and most employees turn to Human Resources for answers."
(William Gallagher Associates)
|
Benefits in General; Executive Compensation
|
The Benefits of an Employee-Centric Enrollment Experience (PDF)
"Multiple-channel communications and enrollment is preferred by employees and can help reach and inform them, allowing them to make better decisions regarding their financial and personal needs.... Self-service tools for enrollment are increasingly becoming important as workers seek greater convenience and accessibility.... When employees have benefits-related communications and education delivered in their preferred channels, they are more likely to feel confident and satisfied with their benefits decisions [which] can contribute to greater appreciation and loyalty."
(Guardian Life)
|
ERIC Urges Supreme Court to Reverse Appeals Court Ruling Rewriting Plan Terms in Equitable Remedies
"The ERISA Industry Committee ... along with the American Benefits Council, the Society for Human Resource Management, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on September 5 filed with the U.S. Supreme Court an amicus curiae ('friend of the court') brief urging the Court to reverse an appeals court ruling overriding the terms of a benefit plan in addressing appropriate equitable relief under [ERISA]... The Court will consider whether the Third Circuit correctly held that ERISA Section 502(a)(3) authorizes courts to use equitable principles (including equitable defenses to claims) to rewrite contractual language and refuse to order participants to reimburse their plan for benefits paid, even where the plan's terms give it an absolute right to full reimbursement. The Third Circuit ruled that such defenses can be used to override clear and specific plan provisions that set forth the subrogation rights."
(The ERISA Industry Committee)
|
Press Releases
|
|
|
|
BenefitsLink.com, Inc.
1298 Minnesota Avenue, Suite H
Winter Park, Florida 32789
Phone (407) 644-4146
Fax (407) 644-2151
Lois Baker, J.D., President
David Rhett Baker, J.D., Editor and Publisher
Holly Horton, Business Manager
Copyright © 2012 BenefitsLink.com, Inc. but feel free to forward this newsletter if done without modification in any way.
All materials contained in this newsletter are
protected by United States copyright law and may not be
reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed,
published or broadcast without the prior written
permission of BenefitsLink.com, Inc., or in the case of
third party materials, the owner of that content. You
may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or
other notice from copies of the content.
Links to Web sites other than those owned by
BenefitsLink.com, Inc. are offered as a service to
readers. The editorial staff of BenefitsLink.com, Inc.
was not involved in their production and is not
responsible for their content.
Useful links:
|