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=========================================================== BenefitsLink Welfare Plans Newsletter (Plain Text Format) November 11, 2004 =========================================================== We thank and invite your attention to today's sponsor: NCEO =========================================================== Check out the new publications by the NCEO in the BenefitsLink Bookstore! (Advert.) <URL:http://benefitslink.com/cgi/a_d.cgi?a_d=2004_11_11_welfare> http://benefitslink.com/cgi/a_d.cgi?a_d=2004_11_11_welfare (Click on above address, or copy and paste it into your web browser, to learn more.) The National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO), a nonprofit membership and research organization that provides information on broad-based employee stock plans, now has over a dozen of its most popular publications available for purchase in the BenefitsLink bookstore. Topics range from employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) to stock options to employee stock purchase plans (ESPPs). (Please visit our sponsors. We try to make sure their products and services will be of interest to you. Thanks! --Editor) ---------------------------------------------------------- Americans Do Not Support Health Care Coverage Mandates, According to AHIP Survey <URL:http://www.benefitnews.com/health/detail.cfm?id=6738> http://www.benefitnews.com/health/detail.cfm?id=6738 Excerpt: "A new survey holds the promise of more health coverage options and, possibly, fewer costs. According to America's Health Insurance Plans, a majority of voters in this year's presidential election want the option of choosing more basic insurance at a lower cost over government-mandated coverage at far higher costs. Fifty-four percent of voters ... think mandates are a bad idea because they do not allow consumers to choose lower-cost, albeit less rich, insurance while 33% think ...." (The Adviser via BenefitNews.com) ---------------------------------------------------------- 'Ownership Society' to Extend to Healthcare in President's Second Term <URL:http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/493528> http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/493528 Excerpt: "A second Bush administration will push more strongly toward individual ownership of health insurance, the implementation of the Medicare Modernization Act (MMA) and its new drug benefit for seniors, and continued support for federal medical liability reform .... At the same time, pressure to legalize the reimportation of less expensive drugs from outside the U.S. will lessen and the adoption of health information technology will remain sluggish due to limited funding, they said." (Medscape Medical News) ---------------------------------------------------------- Telehealth Adds Patients and Uses As Technology and Investment Grow <URL:http://www.aispub.com/Bnow/111004b.html> http://www.aispub.com/Bnow/111004b.html Excerpt: "Technological developments as varied as robotic surgery and wristwatches that take temperature, plus investments from high-tech firms, are pushing telemedicine into new uses of interest to more and more physicians.... ATA has on its Web site ... a list of telemed services that various payers around the country reimburse.... The list is based on a survey done in early 2003, and will be updated in the next few months. Most commercial insurers cover at least some forms of telehealth ...." (PHYSICIAN COMPENSATION REPORT via AISHealth.com) ---------------------------------------------------------- State of Tennessee to Cut Health Program, TennCare, that Expands Medicaid Coverage <URL:http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/11/national/11tenncare.html> http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/11/national/11tenncare.html Excerpt: "Gov. Phil Bredesen announced Wednesday that Tennessee planned to dissolve its financially troubled program expanding Medicaid, a decision that would cut as many as 430,000 people from state health care rolls. The governor held out some hope for saving the program, called TennCare, saying he would try for seven more days to work out an agreement with advocates who have won several court decisions on the level of health care the state must provide to TennCare enrollees." (AP via The New York Times; one-time registration required) ---------------------------------------------------------- Firms Suggest That E-Prescribing Has Value Beyond Reducing Adverse Drug Events <URL:http://www.aispub.com/Bnow/111004d.html> http://www.aispub.com/Bnow/111004d.html Excerpt: "In measuring the value of a multiphase electronic prescribing initiative at Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey (BCBSNJ), ... Jay Patel, Pharm.D., says the insurer is looking at generic dispensing rates and formulary compliance in addition to the reduction of adverse drug events (ADEs). ADE reduction is often touted as a big advantage of e-prescribing, but the bulk of savings is likely to come from the 'more intelligent selection and utilization of drugs,' ... conference." (DRUG BENEFIT NEWS via AISHealth.com) ---------------------------------------------------------- Idaho SCHIP Families Cleared to Buy Employer-Based Health Insurance <URL:http://www.benefitnews.com/health/detail.cfm?id=6739> http://www.benefitnews.com/health/detail.cfm?id=6739 Excerpt: "Idaho brokers may have a new customer base with the approval by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services of the state's request to help families of children in the State Children's Health Insurance Program buy coverage through their employers. The new demonstration program, called the Access Card Program, is part of a national initiative by the Bush Administration to allow states to coordinate programs to expand access to health care coverage for low-income people." (The Adviser via BenefitNews.com) ---------------------------------------------------------- Opinion: Health Care: Beyond Markets -- Supplier Market = Dysfunctional Health Care System <URL:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A41307-2004Nov10.html> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A41307-2004Nov10.html Excerpt: "As the United States moves into the 21st century, nowhere are the long-term adverse consequences of its political choices during the previous century more in evidence than in health care. Today's dysfunctional health care system is a palpable example of the lessons that come from our national obsession with markets at all costs. In the face of explosive evidence regarding the toll our choices have taken on our ability to protect citizens from the cost of illness and promote the ...." (The Washington Post; one-time registration required) ---------------------------------------------------------- Automotive Industry Threatened by Rising Health Insurance Costs According to William Ford, Jr. <URL:http://www.iii.co.uk/shares/?type=news&articleid=5115058&action=article> http://www.iii.co.uk/shares/?type=news&articleid=5115058&action=article Excerpt: "Rapidly rising health-care costs have become an albatross weighing down the automotive industry, William Ford Jr., chief executive officer of Ford Motor, told industry executives Wednesday. Despite cutting costs by billions of dollars over the past few years, Ford Motor's medical liabilities are threatening its fiscal health .... .... 'In 2000, we paid $2 billion for employee health care,' Ford told the ... U.S. Chamber of Commerce. 'In 2003, those costs rose to $3.2 billion.'" (CBSMarketWatch via Interactive Investor) ---------------------------------------------------------- AHRQ Provides Hospital Survey to Use to Determine Patient Safety Culture in Individual Facilities <URL:http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/hospculture/> http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/hospculture/ Excerpt: "The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has sponsored the development of this survey on patient safety culture, as part of its goal is to support a culture of safety and quality improvement in the Nation's health care system. This survey tool can be used to assess the safety culture of a hospital as a whole, or for specific units within hospitals, as well as to track changes in patient safety over time and evaluate the impact of patient safety interventions." (U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) ---------------------------------------------------------- FDA Announces Plan to Improve Pres.cription Drug Safety Monitoring Procedures <URL:http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?hint=3&DR_ID=26628> http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?hint=3&DR_ID=26628 Excerpt: "As expected, FDA officials ... announced plans to improve the procedures used by the agency to monitor the safety of medications after they reach the market, the Newark Star-Ledger reports. According to the Star-Ledger, FDA officials made the announcement in response to 'two highly publicized incidents ... pointed to potential shortcomings' in the agency's current procedures ..." (Kaiser Family Foundation) ---------------------------------------------------------- Study Shows that Chronic Care Treatment Improves Patients' Health and Lowers Costs <URL:http://www.ihealthbeat.org/index.cfm?Action=dspItem&itemID=107342> http://www.ihealthbeat.org/index.cfm?Action=dspItem&itemID=107342 Excerpt: "A chronic disease management program has saved Maine's largest hospital company more than $1 million annually and reduced the number of patients who visit the emergency department, the Portland Press Herald reports. Hospital company MaineHealth on Monday announced the results of an experiment that involved assigning teams of physicians to different chronic conditions and having them work together to improve patients' health and save money." (California Healthcare Foundation) ---------------------------------------------------------- Can.ada Warns It Cannot Be the Drugstore to U.S. <URL:http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20041110/wl_canada_nm/canada_health_usa_canada_col_1> http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20041110/wl_canada_nm/canada_health_usa_canada_col_1 Excerpt: "Can.ada warned the United States on Wednesday that it would not be able to meet its pres.cription drug needs. 'To me it is a matter of common sense that Can.ada cannot be the drugstore of the United States. Neither American consumers nor Canadian suppliers should have any illusions otherwise,' Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh said. 'It is difficult for me to conceive of how a small country like Can.ada could meet the pres.cription drug needs of approximately 280 million Americans ...." (Reuters via Yahoo! News) ---------------------------------------------------------- Public Perceptions of Cost Containment Strategies: Mixed Signals for Managed Care <URL:http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/full/hlthaff.w4.516/DC1> http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/full/hlthaff.w4.516/DC1 Excerpt: "With health care costs, and insurance premiums in particular, escalating rapidly, we may see the reintroduction of utilization management strategies associated with managed care, which seemed destined for oblivion only a short time ago. Results from a survey to assess Americans' views of managed care cost containment strategies indicate mixed support: Despite an overall lack of confidence in managed care, Americans appear to be receptive to specific managed care practices." (Health Affairs) ---------------------------------------------------------- Florida Doctors Cut Back on Procedures Over Medical Malpractice Rates; Many Leaving State <URL:http://www.sptimes.com/2004/11/09/State/Florida_doctors_cut_b.shtml> http://www.sptimes.com/2004/11/09/State/Florida_doctors_cut_b.shtml Excerpt: "A survey of 781 doctors in rural Florida found that more than half have cut back on procedures vital to every town .... Most of them cited rising malpractice premiums as a key reason for the cutbacks. The 2003 survey appears to be the first scientific data backing a hotly contested claim made by state doctors during the last two years of malpractice wars. State medical lobbyists have said doctors were being forced to make cutbacks, but had few hard numbers to support their claims." (St. Petersburg Times) ---------------------------------------------------------- CDC Announces Plan To Ration Flu Vaccine -- States to Get Doses Based on Risk <URL:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37929-2004Nov9.html> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37929-2004Nov9.html Excerpt: "Federal health officials announced a distribution plan yesterday for the remaining 10.3 million doses of flu vaccine, divvying it up to states based on how many high-risk people each has and the number of doses already received. Vaccine will be directed to people most in danger of developing serious complications from influenza, such as the elderly and young children, said Julie L. Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta." (The Washington Post; one-time registration required) ---------------------------------------------------------- Next-Generation Consumer Directed Health Plans Will Target Chronically Ill and Improve Plan Design <URL:http://www.aispub.com/Bnow/111004a.html> http://www.aispub.com/Bnow/111004a.html Excerpt: "Whatever form future generations of CDH plans take, Savan says employers and consumers rather than CDH vendors and insurers will drive plan design improvements. 'Carriers make changes when they are pushed by their clients,' he says. 'Evolution in design will come primarily from customers saying this is great, but....'" (INSIDE CONSUMER-DIRECTED CARE via AISHealth.com) ---------------------------------------------------------- Medicare Adds Preventive Benefits: Initial Physical Exams and Various Screenings Will Be Covered <URL:http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-medicare10nov10,1,2406782.story?coll=la-news-a_section> http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-medicare10nov10,1,2406782.story?coll=la-news-a_section Excerpt: "As part of an emphasis on preventive medicine, Medicare will begin covering the initial physical examinations of patients who join the program after Jan. 1, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced .... .... In addition to the physical exam, Medicare will cover diabetes tests and screening for hearing and vision problems, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Medicare was originally designed to offer financial support to the elderly and disabled ...." (Los Angeles Times; one-time registration required) ========================================================== Newly Posted Press Releases Newkirk Expands Newkirk Fund Central Options (Newkirk) http://benefitslink.com/pr/detail.php?id=38451 Treasury and IRS Issue Proposed Regulations on Phased Retirement (U.S. Department of Treasury) http://benefitslink.com/pr/detail.php?id=38452 Post yours! http://benefitslink.com/pr/maint.php ========================================================== Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings Field Trainer--Benefits for AMS Services, Inc. in ANY STATE http://benefitslink.com/modperl/show_a_job.cgi?database_id=H40964 Sales Support Coordinator for ING U. S. Financial Services in NJ http://benefitslink.com/modperl/show_a_job.cgi?database_id=H40965 Lateral Associate for Slevin & Hart, P.C. in DC http://benefitslink.com/modperl/show_a_job.cgi?database_id=H40967 Litigation Attorney for Slevin & Hart, P.C. in DC http://benefitslink.com/modperl/show_a_job.cgi?database_id=H40969 Pension Attorney for Torkildson, Katz, Fonseca, Moore & Hetherington, AAL, ALC in HI http://benefitslink.com/modperl/show_a_job.cgi?database_id=H40972 Manager, Conversions for BISYS Retirement Services in PA http://benefitslink.com/modperl/show_a_job.cgi?database_id=H40975 Pension Administrator for Actuaries Unlimited, Inc. in CA http://benefitslink.com/modperl/show_a_job.cgi?database_id=H40977 Account Executive - Atlanta, GA for Transamerica in GA http://benefitslink.com/modperl/show_a_job.cgi?database_id=H40978 Compliance Specialist for EPIC Advisors, Inc. in NY http://benefitslink.com/modperl/show_a_job.cgi?database_id=H40979 Director of Benefits Strategy and Programs for ADP TotalSource in FL http://benefitslink.com/modperl/show_a_job.cgi?database_id=H40980 Staffing Administrative Specialist for Hewitt Associates in TX http://benefitslink.com/modperl/show_a_job.cgi?database_id=H40981 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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