If this message looks garbled to you or if the headlines in this message don't connect you to Web pages when you click on them, please request the "plain text" version of this newsletter ("Welfare Plans Edition") by emailing your request to publisher Dave Baker
May 8, 2001
Today's sponsor: Employee Benefits Webcast (click)
Legal Q&A: the New HIPAA Privacy Comment Period's Impact
Excerpt: "It is unclear what effect the new comment period will have on the implementation deadline for the privacy rule. Currently, most covered entities are required to be in compliance with the rule by April 14, 2003." (Steve Fox, Esq., published by HIPAAdvisory.com)
State Law Continuation Coverage Still Governed by ERISA, Court Rules
Excerpt: "Based upon New York law and group health plan terms, state law continuation coverage extends the group member's coverage and therefore falls under the original ERISA plan, a federal district court found. Therefore, the court held that a covered dependent's state law claims against a group health insurer were preempted by ERISA. The case is Rubin-Schneiderman v. Merit Behavioral Care Corp." (Thompson Publishing Group)
Doctors Press Managed Care Lawsuit
Excerpt: "Attorneys for 600,000 doctors who claim the managed care industry has cheated them out of more than $1 billion asked a federal judge Monday to certify their claims as a single class-action lawsuit." (Associated Press, via Yahoo! News)
Miami Judge Hears Class-action Motion In HMO Suits
May 7, 2001. Excerpt: "America's biggest health insurers battled here in federal court Monday against consolidating into a single class-action suit the claims of an estimated 600,000 doctors accusing the insurers of cheating on fees." (Reuters via Excite News)
Medicare Patients Allowed To Sue HMOs
Excerpt: "In a major victory for 1.5 million Californians, the state Supreme Court ruled yesterday that Medicare beneficiaries can sue health maintenance organizations for damages when they are denied adequate care. By a 5-to-2 vote, the court rejected an HMO's claim that beneficiaries are limited to administrative relief and cannot turn to the state courts." (San Francisco Chronicle)
How Company Softball Can Throw You a Curve
Excerpt: "The company softball team seems like the perfect way to balance work and personal time. The softball field is a great way to have fun, get some exercise and build relationships with co-workers. But we've seen one big flaw when trying to add softball to the work-balance lineup: The team doesn't want you if you're a lousy player. The result is a springtime caste system that further complicates the workplace dynamic." (CareerJournal.com)
Montgomery Ward Targets Health, Life Insurance
Excerpt: "The company, which filed for bankruptcy in December and has closed most of its stores since then, asked the bankruptcy court for permission to terminate the medical and life insurance benefits of its retirees. If the court approves the motion, 9,000 or so retirees throughout the nation will be left without benefits." (The [Akron, Oh.] Beacon Journal)
Corporations Are Cutting Contributions to Employee Healthcare Benefits
Excerpt: "A growing percentage of the nation's largest employers are cutting contributions to their employee healthcare premiums in an effort to curtail premium increases, according to the first survey ever of corporate healthcare purchasing practices." (Reuters via Medscape; free registration required)
Spending on Prescription Drugs Increases by Almost 19 Percent
Excerpt: "As an aging population coped with arthritis, diabetes and high cholesterol, spending on prescription drugs shot up 18.8 percent last year, to $131.9 billion, a new study shows." (New York Times; free registration required)
New Web-based Tool Provides State-By-State Insurance Data
Excerpt: "The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) announces the availability of MEPSnet/IC, a new, interactive tool that provides quick and easy access to employer-based health insurance data ... MEPSnet/IC gives users access to national and state level statistics and trends about health insurance offered by private establishments and state and local governments, including cost of coverage." (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)
Finding Affordable Health Insurance For Former Dependents After the Apron Strings Are Cut
Excerpt: "Whether you've just graduated from college or have been out of school for a couple years, you could be facing a health insurance dilemma. Chances are you were under your parents' health insurance policy while you were a full-time student. But most health plans will cut the apron strings once you reach age 22 to 25 ..." (insure.com)
(Following items also appear in Retirement Plans Edition)
Comments on Notice 2001-14 Regarding Employment Taxes on Income from Statutory Stock Options
May 2, 2001. Excerpt: "We strongly recommend that ESPPs and ISOs permanently be exempt from employment taxes and federal income tax withholding. In each case, there are compelling reasons for making the guidance in Notice 2001-14 for pre-2003 exercises permanent." (National Association of Stock Plan Professionals)
Salvaged from the Depths: Employers Rescuing Underwater Options
Excerpt: "The iQuantic study showed that almost half of the 80 percent of companies that reported underwater options have already responded in some way and that 25 percent are considering action.... None of this is escaping the notice of the SEC, however. The agency is pushing hard to change some of the rules regarding stock options ..." (eWeek.com)
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings ( Post Yours! )
Subscribe to the Retirement Plans Edition, too (click)
Copyright 2001 BenefitsLink.com, Inc.
You may freely distribute this email newsletter in whole.
Click here to learn how your company can sponsor a future issue!
BenefitsLink is a registered trademark of BenefitsLink.com, Inc., published by Dave Baker with much help from Mary Hall and lots of friends.
We're proud of our privacy policy .
To subscribe (free): visit https://benefitslink.com/newsletter - or the person desiring to subscribe can send an email to BLwelfare@add.mb00.net
We have an online archive of prior issues at
https://benefitslink.com/newsletters/
The BenefitsLink Newsletter -
Welfare Plans Edition
Welfare Plans Edition
May 8, 2001
Today's sponsor: Employee Benefits Webcast (click)
Webcast coming up May 30! FMLA: The Family and Medical Leave Act -- "It's Not Getting Any Easier." Instructor: Christine E. Howard, Esq. and Jennifer B. Sandberg, Esq., Fisher & Phillips LLP. Presented by Human Resource Consultants. Click to register and purchase this webcast through BenefitsLink!
Legal Q&A: the New HIPAA Privacy Comment Period's Impact
Excerpt: "It is unclear what effect the new comment period will have on the implementation deadline for the privacy rule. Currently, most covered entities are required to be in compliance with the rule by April 14, 2003." (Steve Fox, Esq., published by HIPAAdvisory.com)
State Law Continuation Coverage Still Governed by ERISA, Court Rules
Excerpt: "Based upon New York law and group health plan terms, state law continuation coverage extends the group member's coverage and therefore falls under the original ERISA plan, a federal district court found. Therefore, the court held that a covered dependent's state law claims against a group health insurer were preempted by ERISA. The case is Rubin-Schneiderman v. Merit Behavioral Care Corp." (Thompson Publishing Group)
Doctors Press Managed Care Lawsuit
Excerpt: "Attorneys for 600,000 doctors who claim the managed care industry has cheated them out of more than $1 billion asked a federal judge Monday to certify their claims as a single class-action lawsuit." (Associated Press, via Yahoo! News)
Miami Judge Hears Class-action Motion In HMO Suits
May 7, 2001. Excerpt: "America's biggest health insurers battled here in federal court Monday against consolidating into a single class-action suit the claims of an estimated 600,000 doctors accusing the insurers of cheating on fees." (Reuters via Excite News)
Medicare Patients Allowed To Sue HMOs
Excerpt: "In a major victory for 1.5 million Californians, the state Supreme Court ruled yesterday that Medicare beneficiaries can sue health maintenance organizations for damages when they are denied adequate care. By a 5-to-2 vote, the court rejected an HMO's claim that beneficiaries are limited to administrative relief and cannot turn to the state courts." (San Francisco Chronicle)
How Company Softball Can Throw You a Curve
Excerpt: "The company softball team seems like the perfect way to balance work and personal time. The softball field is a great way to have fun, get some exercise and build relationships with co-workers. But we've seen one big flaw when trying to add softball to the work-balance lineup: The team doesn't want you if you're a lousy player. The result is a springtime caste system that further complicates the workplace dynamic." (CareerJournal.com)
Montgomery Ward Targets Health, Life Insurance
Excerpt: "The company, which filed for bankruptcy in December and has closed most of its stores since then, asked the bankruptcy court for permission to terminate the medical and life insurance benefits of its retirees. If the court approves the motion, 9,000 or so retirees throughout the nation will be left without benefits." (The [Akron, Oh.] Beacon Journal)
Corporations Are Cutting Contributions to Employee Healthcare Benefits
Excerpt: "A growing percentage of the nation's largest employers are cutting contributions to their employee healthcare premiums in an effort to curtail premium increases, according to the first survey ever of corporate healthcare purchasing practices." (Reuters via Medscape; free registration required)
Spending on Prescription Drugs Increases by Almost 19 Percent
Excerpt: "As an aging population coped with arthritis, diabetes and high cholesterol, spending on prescription drugs shot up 18.8 percent last year, to $131.9 billion, a new study shows." (New York Times; free registration required)
New Web-based Tool Provides State-By-State Insurance Data
Excerpt: "The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) announces the availability of MEPSnet/IC, a new, interactive tool that provides quick and easy access to employer-based health insurance data ... MEPSnet/IC gives users access to national and state level statistics and trends about health insurance offered by private establishments and state and local governments, including cost of coverage." (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)
Finding Affordable Health Insurance For Former Dependents After the Apron Strings Are Cut
Excerpt: "Whether you've just graduated from college or have been out of school for a couple years, you could be facing a health insurance dilemma. Chances are you were under your parents' health insurance policy while you were a full-time student. But most health plans will cut the apron strings once you reach age 22 to 25 ..." (insure.com)
Comments on Notice 2001-14 Regarding Employment Taxes on Income from Statutory Stock Options
May 2, 2001. Excerpt: "We strongly recommend that ESPPs and ISOs permanently be exempt from employment taxes and federal income tax withholding. In each case, there are compelling reasons for making the guidance in Notice 2001-14 for pre-2003 exercises permanent." (National Association of Stock Plan Professionals)
Salvaged from the Depths: Employers Rescuing Underwater Options
Excerpt: "The iQuantic study showed that almost half of the 80 percent of companies that reported underwater options have already responded in some way and that 25 percent are considering action.... None of this is escaping the notice of the SEC, however. The agency is pushing hard to change some of the rules regarding stock options ..." (eWeek.com)
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings ( Post Yours! )
for Clark Bardes/ Compensation Resource Group
in TX
in TX
for a national financial services institutions
in CA, GA, TX
in CA, GA, TX
for Barnes Group Inc.
in CT
in CT
for Del Monte
in CA
in CA
for Dreyfus
in NY
in NY
for Northern Trust
in IL
in IL
Subscribe to the Retirement Plans Edition, too (click)
Copyright 2001 BenefitsLink.com, Inc.
You may freely distribute this email newsletter in whole.
Click here to learn how your company can sponsor a future issue!
BenefitsLink is a registered trademark of BenefitsLink.com, Inc., published by Dave Baker with much help from Mary Hall and lots of friends.
We're proud of our privacy policy .
To subscribe (free): visit https://benefitslink.com/newsletter - or the person desiring to subscribe can send an email to BLwelfare@add.mb00.net
We have an online archive of prior issues at
https://benefitslink.com/newsletters/