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May 27, 2003 - 8,255 subscribers
Today's sponsor: EBIA's HIPAA Portability & Privacy
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HIPAA Privacy! Are Your Health Plans in Compliance? New laws and regulations impose far-reaching requirements on group health plans, employers, plan administrators, and insurers-- and EBIA is here to help! EBIA's HIPAA Portability & Privacy manual is the best resource available. Written and edited by top employee benefits attorneys, HIPAA Portability & Privacy has over 950 pages packed with information and sample documents to help bring your group health plans into compliance with HIPAA's rules. Click above for details.
(Please visit our sponsors. We try to make sure their products and services will be of interest to you. Thanks! --Editor)
FDA Says Canadian Drug Position Misinterpreted
Excerpt: "Federal officials said last week they had misunderstood Canada's recent statement about how much authority and ability it has to ensure the safety of prescription drugs that American consumers buy from across the border.... Canada was trying to clarify its position that while it regulates all drugs imported into the country ... it cannot vouch for the safety of medications that are then exported back to the United States." (Washington Post)
Dependent Care Spending Accounts: Do They Make Sense in 2003?
Excerpt: "The perception that the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (EGTRRA) changes lessened the benefits of dependent care spending accounts (DCSAs) for employees, particularly the lower paid, is a myth. In fact, because EGTRRA allows salary reductions to dependent care spending accounts to increase employees earned income tax credits, more employees will now benefit from DCSAs." (Aon Consulting)
Governmental Employers: Act Now to Estimate Impact of New Accounting Standard
Excerpt: "The Public Retirement Journal has published an article written by Aon that discusses in more detail the proposed [GASB] standard, its potential impact on governmental employers, and action steps to consider." (Aon Consulting)
San Francisco Chronicle Examines HIPAA Aspects of Kaiser's Offshore Tech Support Contracts
Excerpt: "Kaiser Permanente's outsourcing of tech support to India risks patients privacy and is not covered under the HIPAA privacy rules, according to San Francisco Chronicle columnist. In a letter to the Chronicle, Kaiser officials refuted those claims and said Kaiser's offshore work meets and exceeds the HIPAA privacy rule." (iHealthBeat; one-time registration required)
Link to Text of Senate Bill to Limit Use of Genetic Information by Employers and Health Insurers
S. 1053. (ERISA Industry Committee)
An Employer's Guide to Patient-Directed Healthcare
Target page includes link to 65-page PDF book. Excerpt: "The term 'defined contribution' is being used widely today to describe one type of potential solution and is attracting increasing attention. These approaches-- at their most basic level-- entail an employer's establishing a core contribution amount for healthcare benefits but go a great deal further than that. Perhaps more properly called patient-directed healthcare approaches ..." (Wye River Group on Healthcare)
An Employer's Guide to Pharmaceutical Benefits
Target page includes link to 75-page PDF book. Excerpt: "As one of the fastest growing segments of healthcare benefits, prescription drugs are a main target for employers' efforts to rein in healthcare costs.... This guide is designed to highlight key areas to address, present prominent studies to consider, and explore primary sources of the data benefit managers need to make well-reasoned decisions about Rx coverage." (Wye River Group on Healthcare)
Sixth Circuit Rules for VEBA in UBTI Case
Sherwin-Williams Co. Employee Health Plan Trust v. Commissioner, No. 01-1276 (6th Cir. 5/23/2003). Excerpt: "Sherwin-Williams Co. Employee Health Plan Trust ('Trust') is a voluntary employees' beneficiary association [subject to Tax Code] limits on the amount of tax-exempt income the Trust can receive from its investments. This case requires us to determine whether investment income that a [VEBA] has spent on reasonable costs of administration during a year counts against [those limits]." (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, via FindLaw.com)
Opinion: Why Tutoring Should Be An Employee Benefit
Excerpt: "The future use of tutors across the United States at home, in schools and in the workplace is likely to increase as society continues to focus on increasing individual aptitudes and the means to teach more Americans critical thinking skills." (BenefitNews.com)
Call for Papers: An Economic Analysis of Pharmacy Benefits
Excerpt: "The [Society of Actuaries'] health benefit systems practice area is interested in a taking a fresh look at the actuarial, economic, and demographic issues related to the supply and demand for prescription drug benefits. This Call for Papers is being issued to encourage a deeper exploration of this topic from a multidisciplinary perspective." (Society of Actuaries)
Disease Management: a Promising Approach for Health Care Purchasers (PDF)
4 pages. Excerpt: "DM programs proactively target patients with chronic conditions or high-cost illnesses who will benefit from effective self-management and evidence-based treatment-- leading to improved health status and lower rates of hospitalization. DM is a promising strategy for purchasers because: ..." (National Healthcare Purchasing Institute)
Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General
Court Case Emphasizes the Importance of Providing Requested Plan Documents
Excerpt: "A recent Minnesota federal district court case (Keogan v. Towers, Perrin, Forster & Crosby, Inc., 2003 WL 21058167) awarded a disability plan participant nearly $65,000 in penalties under ERISA because the plan administrator/employer failed to provide the claimant with a copy of the applicable plan document." (Faegre & Benson LLP)
New Techniques for Handling Underwater Options (PDF)
4 pages. Originally published in March, 2003. Excerpt: "The new program involves a more timely buyout of the underwater options, either for cash or vested shares. Not only is employee morale improved as a result of the buyout, but the substantial dilution attributable to these significantly out-of-the-money options is eliminated." (Morgan Lewis)
Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
Pensions/"D.B." ERISA Compliance Specialist
for Pension Careers, Inc.
in NY
Pension Plan Administrator
for The Angell Pension Group, Inc.
in RI
401k Contribution Processor / Pension Assistant
for Preferred Pension Planning Corporation
in NJ
Newly Posted Webcasts
( Post Yours! )
The 21st Century Challenge: Providing and Paying for Long-Term Care
on May 21, 2003
presented by Georgetown University Long-Term Care Financing Project
Businesses, Listen Up: The Cost of Inaction on Healthcare
on May 19, 2003
presented by National Coalition on Health Care
Newly Posted Conferences
( Post Yours! )
Consumer-Driven Health Care: Turning Health Care Users Into True Consumers
in NY
June 12, 2003
The New York Metropolitan Area Chapter - ISCEBS
Fiduciary Liability Issues and Sarbanes-Oxley
in MA
June 19, 2003
Worldwide Employee Benefits Network
Annual Enrollment Strategies to Achieve Your 2004 Health Care Goals
in ALL STATES
June 11, 2003
Hewitt Associates
Newly Posted Press Releases
( Post Yours! )
IRS Recognizes Milberg Consulting as Pension Compliance Advocate
(Milberg Consulting LLC)
Tax Bill Cuts 2003 Taxes for Persons Using Child Care Tax Credit
(U.S. Treasury Department)
Handy Links:
- View Today's Active Message Threads
- Search BenefitsLink
- Using the Web for Employee Benefits Research
- Employee Benefits Library
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