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The BenefitsLink Newsletter -
Welfare Plans Edition
Today's sponsor is iBenefits
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October 11, 2000
HIPAA Law Toughens Rules on Confidentiality for Insurers, Providers
Excerpt: "Next month, after a two-month public comment period, HHS will release the final regulations for electronic transactions under the law, known as HIPAA. Health care plans, clearinghouses and providers?except small, self-administered plans?that choose to transmit electronic transactions will have two years from Oct. 16 to comply with these rules. Small plans with up to $5 million in annual receipts will have three years to comply." (eWeek.com)
4th Cir.: De Novo Standard Should Be Applied to Determination of Disability Eligibility
Excerpt: "The Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals has ruled that a district court improperly applied the deferential arbitrary and capricious standard of judicial review in addressing an insurer's denial of a beneficiary's claim for long term disability benefits. The ruling came in Feder v. Paul Revere Life Insurance Company." (Spencernet)
Hennepin County Minnesota Rejects Same-Sex Benefits Coverage Proposal
Excerpt: "The Hennepin County Board on Tuesday narrowly scuttled a plan to seek a change in state law to allow local governments to offer workers with gay or lesbian partners the same health-care benefits married workers can get for their spouses. The defeat puts the Minneapolis City Council at the forefront of the recently renewed debate. A City Council committee passed a similar resolution earlier Tuesday. The full council is expected to vote on it Friday." (StarTribune.com)
Who's Watching the Kids? The State of Child Care in America
Excerpt: "On Sept. 22, 75 participants from government, business, the child care field and academia met at Wharton for a conference entitled, "Caring for the Young Children of Working Parents: A Call for Private and Public Sector Leadership." The goal was to assess what?s wrong with child care and to examine both public and private sector options for fixing it." (Knowledge@Wharton, free subscription required)
Perks Plus
Excerpt: "Here is a list of some of the best and most unusual benefits available, all of which are designed to meet the emotional, physical, mental, and even family needs of valued employees-and keep Bay Area worker bees humming with the same employer." (HighTechCareers.com)
The Health Care Consequences of Smoking and its Regulation (PDF)
Link to a draft of a chapter to be published in Frontiers in Health Policy Research, available for downloading from the National Bureau of Economic Research. (Frontiers in Health Policy Research)
Opinion: Senate Should Put Patients, Not Big Insurers, First
Excerpt: "There is still time for this Senate, in this Congress, to give patients the protections they deserve. The American Medical Assn. believes that a majority of senators would vote to pass a real patients' bill of rights if the Senate Republican leadership would allow the bill to come to a vote." (Los Angeles Times)
Dispute Continues Over Patients' Rights Bill
Excerpt: "Backers of differing versions of legislation designed to expand the rights of patients in managed care plans are making a last-ditch effort to find a compromise. But in the waning days of the Congress, an agreement remains elusive." (Medscape; free registration required)
Aetna, HMOs Battle Effort in Massachusetts to Codify "Patients' Rights"
Excerpt: "Big business, including Aetna US Healthcare and two leading health-maintenance organizations in the state, has contributed $1.1 million to defeat the ballot question ... But Richard AC. Lord, president of the Associated Industries of Massachusetts ... said implementing the ballot question would drive up the price of health care and restrict the system's ability to control costs-- the crux of managed care." (Baltimore Sun)
Job Openings Newly Posted or Reposted on EmployeeBenefitsJobs.com
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 iBenefits
(click on banner for more information)
October 11, 2000
HIPAA Law Toughens Rules on Confidentiality for Insurers, Providers
Excerpt: "Next month, after a two-month public comment period, HHS will release the final regulations for electronic transactions under the law, known as HIPAA. Health care plans, clearinghouses and providers?except small, self-administered plans?that choose to transmit electronic transactions will have two years from Oct. 16 to comply with these rules. Small plans with up to $5 million in annual receipts will have three years to comply." (eWeek.com)
4th Cir.: De Novo Standard Should Be Applied to Determination of Disability Eligibility
Excerpt: "The Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals has ruled that a district court improperly applied the deferential arbitrary and capricious standard of judicial review in addressing an insurer's denial of a beneficiary's claim for long term disability benefits. The ruling came in Feder v. Paul Revere Life Insurance Company." (Spencernet)
Hennepin County Minnesota Rejects Same-Sex Benefits Coverage Proposal
Excerpt: "The Hennepin County Board on Tuesday narrowly scuttled a plan to seek a change in state law to allow local governments to offer workers with gay or lesbian partners the same health-care benefits married workers can get for their spouses. The defeat puts the Minneapolis City Council at the forefront of the recently renewed debate. A City Council committee passed a similar resolution earlier Tuesday. The full council is expected to vote on it Friday." (StarTribune.com)
Who's Watching the Kids? The State of Child Care in America
Excerpt: "On Sept. 22, 75 participants from government, business, the child care field and academia met at Wharton for a conference entitled, "Caring for the Young Children of Working Parents: A Call for Private and Public Sector Leadership." The goal was to assess what?s wrong with child care and to examine both public and private sector options for fixing it." (Knowledge@Wharton, free subscription required)
Perks Plus
Excerpt: "Here is a list of some of the best and most unusual benefits available, all of which are designed to meet the emotional, physical, mental, and even family needs of valued employees-and keep Bay Area worker bees humming with the same employer." (HighTechCareers.com)
The Health Care Consequences of Smoking and its Regulation (PDF)
Link to a draft of a chapter to be published in Frontiers in Health Policy Research, available for downloading from the National Bureau of Economic Research. (Frontiers in Health Policy Research)
Opinion: Senate Should Put Patients, Not Big Insurers, First
Excerpt: "There is still time for this Senate, in this Congress, to give patients the protections they deserve. The American Medical Assn. believes that a majority of senators would vote to pass a real patients' bill of rights if the Senate Republican leadership would allow the bill to come to a vote." (Los Angeles Times)
Dispute Continues Over Patients' Rights Bill
Excerpt: "Backers of differing versions of legislation designed to expand the rights of patients in managed care plans are making a last-ditch effort to find a compromise. But in the waning days of the Congress, an agreement remains elusive." (Medscape; free registration required)
Aetna, HMOs Battle Effort in Massachusetts to Codify "Patients' Rights"
Excerpt: "Big business, including Aetna US Healthcare and two leading health-maintenance organizations in the state, has contributed $1.1 million to defeat the ballot question ... But Richard AC. Lord, president of the Associated Industries of Massachusetts ... said implementing the ballot question would drive up the price of health care and restrict the system's ability to control costs-- the crux of managed care." (Baltimore Sun)
Retirement System Specialist
for Levi, Ray & Shoup, Inc. (IT Company)
in IL
in IL
401(k) Plan Administrator
for RSM McGladrey, Inc.
in IL
in IL
Client Relationship Manager
for Fidelity Investments
in TX
in TX
ERISA Specialist / Legal
for Fidelity Investments
in TX
in TX
Business Analysts
for CitiStreet - A State Street and Citigroup Company
in MA
in MA
Benefit Administrator - Defined Contribution
for Buck Consultants, a Mellon Consulting Company
in NJ
in NJ
401k Compliance Analyst
for Automatic Data Processing- Retirement Services
in NJ
in NJ
Retirement Plan Manager
for Citizens Bank
in RI
in RI
Employee Benefits Recordkeeping Supervisor
for Largest CPA and Consulting Firm in Northern New England
in ME
in ME
401(k) DC Pension Plan Administrator
for Expanding Central New Jersey Financial Planning and Employee Benefit Consulting Firm
in NJ
in NJ
Senior Business Analyst
for Boston Financial Data Services
in MA
in MA
Benefit Outsourcing - Defined Contribution & Total Benefit Outsourcing
for Unifi Network/PricewaterhouseCoopers
in NJ
in NJ
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.