An online, clickable version of this newsletter is available at: http://benefitslink.com/2004/2004_09_14_welfare.html
=========================================================== BenefitsLink Welfare Plans Newsletter (Plain Text Format) September 14, 2004 =========================================================== We thank and invite your attention to today's sponsor: Hay Group, Inc. =========================================================== New Hay Group Study Reveals Benefits Cost Increases and Containment Strategies (Advert.) <URL:http://benefitslink.com/cgi/a_d.cgi?a_d=2004_09_14_welfare> http://benefitslink.com/cgi/a_d.cgi?a_d=2004_09_14_welfare (Click on above address, or copy and paste it into your web browser, to learn more.) Employers see their fifth year of double-digit medical premium increases with an average increase of 10.5% in 2004. This is down from 2003, but still 3 times the inflation rate, with increases around 10% expected for 2005. Hay Group outlines prevalent cost containment strategies. (Please visit our sponsors. We try to make sure their products and services will be of interest to you. Thanks! --Editor) ---------------------------------------------------------- New DOL Rules May Help Employers Avoid Nasty COBRA Bite <URL:http://www.hrhero.com/benefits/tip-cobra.shtml> http://www.hrhero.com/benefits/tip-cobra.shtml Excerpt: "Most employers are familiar with their obligations to provide COBRA notices to terminated employees at the time of discharge. Unfortunately, many are less familiar with their obligations to provide timely notice of COBRA rights to their employees when certain other 'qualifying events' occur. Although the issue might not arise frequently, it's important for you to become aware of all the requirements you must follow to be truly compliant with COBRA." (Georgia Employment Law Letter via HRhero.com) ---------------------------------------------------------- 3rd Circuit Court Says Stricter Standard Needed in Kosiba v. Merck & Co. ERISA Case <URL:http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1095107238144> http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1095107238144 Excerpt: "In its June 2000 decision in Pinto v. Reliance Standard Life Insurance Co., the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that 'heightened scrutiny' is required when an insurance company both funds and administers an ERISA benefits plan since the combination of such fiduciary and non-fiduciary roles creates an inherent conflict of interest." (The Legal Intelligencer via Law.com) ---------------------------------------------------------- Massachusetts Hospital Ends Spousal Insurance Plan To Avoid Covering Married G.ays <URL:http://www.gaywired.com/article.cfm?section=9&id=4117> http://www.gaywired.com/article.cfm?section=9&id=4117 Excerpt: "Hospitals run by Caritas Christi Health Care in Massachusetts have terminated their own employee health care plan to avoid having to cover the spouses of legally married same-sex couples." (g.aywired.com) ---------------------------------------------------------- Consultants Forecast Another Hot Year for Health Care Issues and Benefits Outsourcing <URL:http://www.benefitnews.com/health/detail.cfm?id=6458> http://www.benefitnews.com/health/detail.cfm?id=6458 Excerpt: "Health care cost containment and HR-benefits outsourcing have drawn considerable C-level attention of late, and next year will be no different, leading consultants indicate." (Employee Benefit News) ---------------------------------------------------------- Medicare Part B Drugs Regulations Updated for Drug Manufacturers <URL:http://www.cms.hhs.gov/providers/drugs/regulations.asp> http://www.cms.hhs.gov/providers/drugs/regulations.asp Excerpt: "Drug manufacturers must follow new procedure to calculate price concessions." (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) ---------------------------------------------------------- Closing a Gap in Health Care Quality for Minority Workers <URL:http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-te.ms.disparities13sep13,1,5516862.story?coll=bal-news-nation> http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-te.ms.disparities13sep13,1,5516862.story?coll=bal-news-nation Excerpt: "Employers and insurance companies are testing ways to help minority workers get the most out of the system." (The Baltimore Sun; one-time registration required) ---------------------------------------------------------- FY 2003 Was Golden for Non-Profit Health-Care Firms According to Report <URL:http://www.plansponsor.com/pi_type10/?RECORD_ID=26674> http://www.plansponsor.com/pi_type10/?RECORD_ID=26674 Excerpt: "US nonprofit health-care organizations reported an average annual total return of 14.1% on operating funds for fiscal year 2003 according to the Commonfund Benchmarks Study Healthcare Report 2004." (PLANSPONSOR.com; one-time registration required) ---------------------------------------------------------- Analyzing the Kerry and Bush Health Proposals: Estimates of Cost and Impact (PDF) <URL:http://www.aei.org/docLib/20040913_KerryBushHealthPlans.pdf> http://www.aei.org/docLib/20040913_KerryBushHealthPlans.pdf 39 pages. Excerpt: "... a team of experienced independent actuaries and cost estimators presented ... the most detailed analysis of President George W. Bush's and Senator John Kerry's health care reform proposals that has thus far been made publicly available." (American Enterprise Institute) ---------------------------------------------------------- Bill Collection Barrier to Health Care: Those Who Owe and Can't Pay Often Put Off Medical Treatment <URL:http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-te.md.debt13sep13,1,3314769.story?coll=bal-business-headlines> http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-te.md.debt13sep13,1,3314769.story?coll=bal-business-headlines Excerpt: "� [The] assessment is supported by a study published in July by the Baltimore Community Health Consortium, which interviewed 274 patients at 10 'safety net' providers of health care to the city's poor. About 19 percent said they had delayed seeking medical care either because of medical debts or the pursuit of those debts by collection agencies." (The Baltimore Sun; one-time registration required) ---------------------------------------------------------- Federal Government Told to Use Leverage to Improve Health Care Quality <URL:http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04258/378713.stm> http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04258/378713.stm Excerpt: "The federal government should use its power as a buyer of health care to spur improvements in quality, leaders of a local group said during a congressional hearing in Green Tree yesterday. Doing so would save both lives and money, said Karen Wolk Feinstein, chairwoman of the Pittsburgh Regional Healthcare Initiative." (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) ---------------------------------------------------------- Bush Describes Kerry's Health Care Proposal as a 'Government Takeover' <URL:http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/14/politics/campaign/14bush.html?ex=1252814400&en=23ca0da7fbe7e4a0&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland> http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/14/politics/campaign/14bush.html?ex=1252814400&en=23ca0da7fbe7e4a0&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland Excerpt: "President Bush sped across southwest Michigan on Monday, assailing Senator John Kerry for plans that he said would result in nationalized health care." (The New York Times; one-time registration required) ========================================================== Links To Items on Executive Comp, Benefits In General ---------------------------------------------------------- Commentary: CPI Doesn't Measure YOUR Cost of Living <URL:http://www.commonfund.org/CBSMarketWatchCom.aspx?column=irwin> http://www.commonfund.org/CBSMarketWatchCom.aspx?column=irwin Excerpt: "Your cost of living may not be as steady as the consumer price index would lead you to think it is. This week, all eyes will be on the CPI, as they are every month around this time. The reason, of course, is to find out how fast prices are rising, thus adding to everyone's cost of living." (CBS MarketWatch.com via Commonfund) ========================================================== Newly Posted Events ASPA Benefits Council September Breakfast Meeting in Ohio on September 28, 2004 presented by ASPA <URL:http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=38717> http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=38717 COBRA for Beginners Nationwide on September 30, 2004 presented by Employee Benefits Institute of America Inc. (EBIA) <URL:http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=38719> http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=38719 ERISA Workshop in Texas on November 17, 2004 presented by SunGard Corbel <URL:http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=38712> http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=38712 ERISA Workshop in Kansas on November 17, 2004 presented by SunGard Corbel <URL:http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=38713> http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=38713 ERISA Workshop in Illinois on November 18, 2004 presented by SunGard Corbel <URL:http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=38714> http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=38714 ERISA Workshop in Georgia on November 19, 2004 presented by SunGard Corbel <URL:http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=38715> http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=38715 ERISA Workshop in Minnesota on November 19, 2004 presented by SunGard Corbel <URL:http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=38716> http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=38716 New Medicare Prescription Drug Rules: Critical Issues for Retiree Health Plan Sponsors Nationwide on September 13, 2004 presented by Mercer Human Resource Consulting <URL:http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=38718> http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=38718 Post yours! http://benefitslink.com/events/eventmaint.php ========================================================== Newly Posted Press Releases ICC Plan Solutions announces giveaway with live demonstration. (Metrics Partners) http://benefitslink.com/pr/detail.php?id=38295 MetLife Leverages Expertise To Address Beneficiaries' Needs (MetLife) http://benefitslink.com/pr/detail.php?id=38292 New American Express Retirement Plan Distribution Education Program Phones Home - American Express Expands Personal Contact to Participants in Transition to Help Them Properly Manage Retirement Accounts (American Express Retirement Services) http://benefitslink.com/pr/detail.php?id=38291 WEDI Announces New HIPAA Security Rule White Papers (WEDI (Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange)) http://benefitslink.com/pr/detail.php?id=38293 First Trust, Lincoln Trust, Resources Trust, Retirement Accounts Now Have 1 Location, 1 Name -- Fiserv Investment Support Services (Fiserv, Inc.) http://benefitslink.com/pr/detail.php?id=38294 Post yours! http://benefitslink.com/pr/maint.php ========================================================== Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings Retirement Planning Specialist for 1st Global, Inc. in TX http://benefitslink.com/modperl/show_a_job.cgi?database_id=H39691 Enrollment Coordinator (Rochester & Syracuse, NY and Tampa, FL, and New York City, NY) for Manulife Financial in FL, NY http://benefitslink.com/modperl/show_a_job.cgi?database_id=H40005 Pension Administrator (Defined Contribution) for Compliance/Administration Company in Secaucus, NJ in NJ http://benefitslink.com/modperl/show_a_job.cgi?database_id=H40495 Account Executive - Retirement Services for Principal Financial Group in NC http://benefitslink.com/modperl/show_a_job.cgi?database_id=H40499 Client Service Rep. - Defined Contribution Plans (401(k)/Profit Sharing) for Decimal, Inc. (www.theonline401k.com) in CA http://benefitslink.com/modperl/show_a_job.cgi?database_id=H39626 Pension Plan Administrator for Elliott Davis, LLC in SC http://benefitslink.com/modperl/show_a_job.cgi?database_id=H40502 Supervisor, New Business for BISYS Retirement Services in PA http://benefitslink.com/modperl/show_a_job.cgi?database_id=H40504 Post yours! http://benefitslink.com/jobs/post_help_wanted.html =========================================================== Subscribe to the BenefitsLink Retirement Plans Newsletter, Too Sign-up form is at: <URL:http://benefitslink.com/newsletter/> http://benefitslink.com/newsletter =========================================================== Copyright 2004 BenefitsLink.com, Inc.; except that you can forward this email in full (if you also include this boilerplate part) or otherwise reprint this email in full (if you include this boilerplate part) without obtaining our permission. 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