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The BenefitsLink Newsletter -
Welfare Plans Edition
Today's sponsor is EmployeeBenefitsJobs.com
( Would your company like to sponsor an issue? )
June 21, 2000
Hewitt Associates is Forming a Separate Internet Company to Assist Plan Participants
Excerpt: "Employee benefits firm Hewitt Associates is forming a separate Internet company to help its clients' employees better understand complex health insurance plans. Known as Sageo, the on-line venture will initially employ 200 consultants and professionals who will walk employees through their employers' health plan choices 24 hours a day." (Knight-Ridder / Tribune Business News)
IRS Officials Comment on New Cafeteria Plan Regulations on Mid-Year Election Changes
Excerpt: "On Monday, June 5, at an ECFC Teleconference, IRS officials informally commented on several aspects of the new final and proposed regulations." (EBIA Weekly)
5th Cir: Election Notice Failure Did Not Create Liability For More Than 18 Months of PHSA Coverage
Excerpt: "Neither form contained any explanation of COBRA or any reference to the fact that her maximum COBRA period was 18 months. The qualified beneficiary received COBRA coverage for the full 18 months." (EBIA Weekly)
N. D. Texas: 120 Individual Severance Pay Agreements Are Not an ERISA Plan
Excerpt: "Individual severance pay agreements, offered to 120 of 4000 employees, contained an "entire agreement" provision with no mention of ERISA ... The court held that the severance agreement was not governed by ERISA and that the plaintiff was entitled to a jury trial." (EBIA Weekly)
Court upholds Texans' right to sue HMOs
Excerpt: "A federal appeals court has upheld a landmark 1997 Texas law allowing some consumers to sue their health maintenance organizations for damages if they feel they received poor care. But the ruling limits the types of suits that can be brought." (Dallas Morning News)
The 'R' Word: Justice Souter Takes on HMO Rationing of Health Care
Excerpt: "Whatever the form of an H.M.O., 'there must be rationing and inducement to ration' care, Justice Souter declared." (New York Times, via Foundation for Taxpayer & Consumer Rights)
EEOC Revises Its Interpretive Guidance on the ADA, Conforming It to Supreme Court Rulings
Excerpt: "the [U.S. Supreme] court held that mitigating measures that reduce the effects of an impairment must be considered when determining if a person is disabled ... the EEOC is conforming its interpretive guidance to the recent U.S. Supreme Court holdings." (EBIA Weekly)
CalPERS Drops Plan to Increase Employee Co-Payments for Prescription Drugs
Excerpt: "The mighty California Public Employees Retirement System rose up this year to beat back its burgeoning health care costs--and got cut down by its own membership. The CalPERS committee that oversees health benefits admitted as much Tuesday when it unanimously moved to abandon plans to increase most members' co-payments for brand-name prescription drugs." (Knight-Ridder / Tribune Business News)
CalPERS Eyes 9.2 Percent HMO Premium Hike
Excerpt: "The California Public Employees Retirement System today is expected to approve a 9.2% increase in the cost of premiums next year for the health maintenance plans offered to its 1.2 million members." (Los Angeles Times)
U.S. Spends a Lot, but Ranks 37th in Health Care
Excerpt: "The United States spends more per person on health care than any other country, yet in overall quality its care ranks 37th in the world, says a World Health Organization analysis. It concludes that France provides the best health care." (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Use of Herbal Remedies by Patients in an HMO
Excerpt: " Given that patients are using herbal remedies for a variety of health conditions without medical supervision, pharmacists need to actively and consistently obtain information about herbal remedy use to effectively advise patients and monitor outcomes." (Medscape; free registration required)
Subscribe to the Retirement Plans Edition, too (click)
Copyright 2000 BenefitsLink.com, Inc.
Feel free to forward this email to friends, colleagues or clients, if no fee is paid to you and the email is forwarded in its entirety. Thanks!
BenefitsLink is a trademark of BenefitsLink.com, Inc., published by Dave Baker with much help from Mary Hall and lots of friends.
To subscribe (free): visit https://benefitslink.com/newsletter - or the person desiring to subscribe can send an email to listmanager@postmastergeneral.com, with this as the subject of the email: subscribe BLwelfare
We have an online archive of prior issues at
http://www.postmastergeneral.com/cgi-bin/archive.pl?list=BLwelfare
Welfare Plans Edition
Today's sponsor is EmployeeBenefitsJobs.com
( Would your company like to sponsor an issue? )
June 21, 2000
Hewitt Associates is Forming a Separate Internet Company to Assist Plan Participants
Excerpt: "Employee benefits firm Hewitt Associates is forming a separate Internet company to help its clients' employees better understand complex health insurance plans. Known as Sageo, the on-line venture will initially employ 200 consultants and professionals who will walk employees through their employers' health plan choices 24 hours a day." (Knight-Ridder / Tribune Business News)
IRS Officials Comment on New Cafeteria Plan Regulations on Mid-Year Election Changes
Excerpt: "On Monday, June 5, at an ECFC Teleconference, IRS officials informally commented on several aspects of the new final and proposed regulations." (EBIA Weekly)
5th Cir: Election Notice Failure Did Not Create Liability For More Than 18 Months of PHSA Coverage
Excerpt: "Neither form contained any explanation of COBRA or any reference to the fact that her maximum COBRA period was 18 months. The qualified beneficiary received COBRA coverage for the full 18 months." (EBIA Weekly)
N. D. Texas: 120 Individual Severance Pay Agreements Are Not an ERISA Plan
Excerpt: "Individual severance pay agreements, offered to 120 of 4000 employees, contained an "entire agreement" provision with no mention of ERISA ... The court held that the severance agreement was not governed by ERISA and that the plaintiff was entitled to a jury trial." (EBIA Weekly)
Court upholds Texans' right to sue HMOs
Excerpt: "A federal appeals court has upheld a landmark 1997 Texas law allowing some consumers to sue their health maintenance organizations for damages if they feel they received poor care. But the ruling limits the types of suits that can be brought." (Dallas Morning News)
The 'R' Word: Justice Souter Takes on HMO Rationing of Health Care
Excerpt: "Whatever the form of an H.M.O., 'there must be rationing and inducement to ration' care, Justice Souter declared." (New York Times, via Foundation for Taxpayer & Consumer Rights)
EEOC Revises Its Interpretive Guidance on the ADA, Conforming It to Supreme Court Rulings
Excerpt: "the [U.S. Supreme] court held that mitigating measures that reduce the effects of an impairment must be considered when determining if a person is disabled ... the EEOC is conforming its interpretive guidance to the recent U.S. Supreme Court holdings." (EBIA Weekly)
CalPERS Drops Plan to Increase Employee Co-Payments for Prescription Drugs
Excerpt: "The mighty California Public Employees Retirement System rose up this year to beat back its burgeoning health care costs--and got cut down by its own membership. The CalPERS committee that oversees health benefits admitted as much Tuesday when it unanimously moved to abandon plans to increase most members' co-payments for brand-name prescription drugs." (Knight-Ridder / Tribune Business News)
CalPERS Eyes 9.2 Percent HMO Premium Hike
Excerpt: "The California Public Employees Retirement System today is expected to approve a 9.2% increase in the cost of premiums next year for the health maintenance plans offered to its 1.2 million members." (Los Angeles Times)
U.S. Spends a Lot, but Ranks 37th in Health Care
Excerpt: "The United States spends more per person on health care than any other country, yet in overall quality its care ranks 37th in the world, says a World Health Organization analysis. It concludes that France provides the best health care." (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Use of Herbal Remedies by Patients in an HMO
Excerpt: " Given that patients are using herbal remedies for a variety of health conditions without medical supervision, pharmacists need to actively and consistently obtain information about herbal remedy use to effectively advise patients and monitor outcomes." (Medscape; free registration required)
Subscribe to the Retirement Plans Edition, too (click)
Copyright 2000 BenefitsLink.com, Inc.
Feel free to forward this email to friends, colleagues or clients, if no fee is paid to you and the email is forwarded in its entirety. Thanks!
BenefitsLink is a trademark of BenefitsLink.com, Inc., published by Dave Baker with much help from Mary Hall and lots of friends.
To subscribe (free): visit https://benefitslink.com/newsletter - or the person desiring to subscribe can send an email to listmanager@postmastergeneral.com, with this as the subject of the email: subscribe BLwelfare
We have an online archive of prior issues at
http://www.postmastergeneral.com/cgi-bin/archive.pl?list=BLwelfare
DEPARTMENTS
BENEFITS SPEAKERS
Looking for a speaker for your benefits group? Want to throw your hat into the ring? Free.
BENEFITS CANDIDATES
Need personnel? It's like fishing in a barrel here.
BENEFITS JOBS
Need a benefits job? Sort the openings by their distance away from you.
BENEFITSBOARDS.NET
Exchange questions and tips with colleagues. Co-sponsored by us and several employee benefits organizations.
PROGRESSIONS
Promotions and new personnel in the employee benefits community.
Q&A COLUMNS
Experts field questions online, submitted by readers via email.
CONFERENCES
View by location, by sponsoring organization, or by date.
SOFTWARE
Largest listing of benefits software on the net: descriptions, downloads.
ADVERTISE
Ads are our sole source of support. No subscription fees!
CONTACT US
Questions?
Comments?
Suggestions?
Copyright 2000 BenefitsLink.com, Inc. All rights reserved. BenefitsLink is a trademark of BenefitsLink.com, Inc.
Looking for a speaker for your benefits group? Want to throw your hat into the ring? Free.
BENEFITS CANDIDATES
Need personnel? It's like fishing in a barrel here.
BENEFITS JOBS
Need a benefits job? Sort the openings by their distance away from you.
BENEFITSBOARDS.NET
Exchange questions and tips with colleagues. Co-sponsored by us and several employee benefits organizations.
PROGRESSIONS
Promotions and new personnel in the employee benefits community.
Q&A COLUMNS
Experts field questions online, submitted by readers via email.
CONFERENCES
View by location, by sponsoring organization, or by date.
SOFTWARE
Largest listing of benefits software on the net: descriptions, downloads.
ADVERTISE
Ads are our sole source of support. No subscription fees!
CONTACT US
Questions?
Comments?
Suggestions?
Copyright 2000 BenefitsLink.com, Inc. All rights reserved. BenefitsLink is a trademark of BenefitsLink.com, Inc.