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Sponsored by: Employee Benefits Institute of America Inc. (EBIA)

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Facing a $47 Billion Liability, New York State Urged to Cut Retiree Benefits
Excerpt: "Faced with a staggering $47 billion potential bill for the health care of future retirees from government jobs, the state should look at ways to cut back on benefits for future pensioners, a financial analyst said Monday. 'The benefits have to be restructured,' said E.J. McMahon of the Empire Center, a conservative think tank. 'It's simply not fair and not affordable to continue promising (state workers) employer-paid health insurance for the rest of their lives.'" (Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin)

Behavioral Health Program Improves Quality of Life and Productivity
Excerpt: "A high-risk case management program has shown significant cost savings and better quality of life for workers with comorbid mental and physical illnesses." (Employee Benefit News; free registration required)

Firms Need to Adjust Health Care Culture, Experts Say
Excerpt: "Employers can teach the importance of wellness and prevention by encouraging healthy behaviors with rewards (including cash, days off, clothing or other merchandise) for employees who reach healthy benchmarks. Alternatively, employers can set lower copays and lower deductibles for employees who regularly take a health risk assessment or a physical exam." (Employee Benefit News; free registration required)

Towers Perrin U.S. Legislative Tracking Charts -- Health and Welfare -- Updated August 20, 2007 (PDF)
44 pages. Excerpt: "These charts summarize selected federal legislation that would affect employee benefit programs. The bills included on the charts are based on judgments regarding the prominence of the issue, the likelihood of enactment, and the influence of the sponsors." (Towers Perrin)

Overview of a Report on Private Health Insurance in OECD Countries
Excerpt: "Whatever the role played in a health system, private health insurance has added to total health expenditure. Most OECD countries apply less government control over private sector activities and prices, compared to public programmes and providers. Private insurers tend to have less bargaining power over the price and quantity of care as compared with public systems, particularly single-payer ones." (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development via Physicians for a National Health Program)

Employers' Guide to the 2006 Massachusetts Health Care Reform Act Updated as of August 20, 2007 (PDF)
68 pages. Excerpt: "This iteration of the Guide includes expanded discussions of the Section 125 cafeteria plan rules, the HIRD form requirement, and Commonwealth Choice." (Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C.)

Note: MEPS Releases 2005 Health Insurance Data
Excerpt: "The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Medical Expenditure Panel Survey has now been updated to include 2005 data." (International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans)

Third Circuit Remands Health Care Provider's Reimbursement Litigation to State Court
Excerpt: "When does a health care provider stand in the shoes of a patient and thus become subject to federal court jurisdiction and the formidable defenses of ERISA preemption? This was the question before the district court in Cooper Hospital where the self-funded ERISA health plan declined to pay a substantial portion of billed charges on the view that the charges exceeded what was 'reasonable and customary'." (Health Plan Law blog by Attorney Roy F. Harmon III)

Consultants Predict an Increase of About 4 Million Health Savings Accounts
Excerpt: "Enrollment in health insurance plans with savings accounts has increased steadily since they became available in 2004, but 2008 could be their breakout year, according to some health care consultants." (The Washington Times)

The eValue8 Cornerstone Report: Measuring the Success of America's Health Plans (PDF)
26 pages. Excerpt: "eValue8 is a standardized health plan performance measurement tool that NBCH developed for member coalitions and their local employers to use when assessing a plan's ability to advance value based purchasing. Given the critical role that health plans play in driving transparency, payment reform, HIT adoption, and consumer engagement, NBCH-member coalitions and employers ask health plans to complete the eValue8 RFI each year." (National Business Coalition on Health)

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Links to Items on Executive Comp, Benefits in General

Summary of Proposed Treasury Regulations on Accident or Health Insurance under a Qualified Plan (PDF)
Excerpt: "The Treasury Department released proposed regulations on the tax treatment of long-term care (LTC) insurance, health insurance and disability insurance held by a 401(k) plan or other tax-qualified retirement plan." (American Benefits Council)

Towers Perrin U.S. Legislative Tracking Charts -- Human Resources -- Updated August 20, 2007 (PDF)
12 pages. Excerpt: "These charts summarize selected federal legislation that would affect employee benefit programs. The bills included on the charts are based on judgments regarding the prominence of the issue, the likelihood of enactment, and the influence of the sponsors." (Towers Perrin)

Overview: IRS Clarification That 409A Election to Defer Teachers' Salaries Not Applicable to This School Year
Excerpt: "The guidance, which was released in a series of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Code Sec. 409A and deferred compensation, reiterates that the final regulations will not be applied to annualization elections for school years beginning before January 1, 2008." (Wolters Kluwer Law & Business)

Overview of the IRS, Treasury Department 2007-08 Priority Guidance Plan
Excerpt: "The 2007-2008 Priority Guidance Plan lists 44 guidance projects relating to employee benefits, including 26 projects for retirement plans and 18 projects for health care benefits and executive compensation." (Wolters Kluwer Law & Business)

Stabilizing Future Fiscal Policy: It's Time to Start
Excerpt: "Fiscal policy is out of control. Programs, such as Social Security and Medicare, have design features that push up spending faster than the growth of revenues. It is time to change the course of the automatic pilot driving these programs. To do so, policymakers can develop 'triggers' that automatically curb spending. . . . The paper examines triggers employed to reform Social Security in other advanced democracies and explores design options for an optimal trigger." (The Urban Institute)

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Newly Posted Events

IRS Issues Comprehensive Guidance for Cafeteria Plans Teleweb
Nationwide on September 13, 2007
presented by International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans

New Nondiscrimination Rules for Cafeteria Plans: A Wake-Up Call for Employers and Administrators
Nationwide on September 20, 2007
presented by Employee Benefits Institute of America Inc. (EBIA)

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Newly Posted Press Releases

Hewitt Study: While Salary Increases in 2008 Remain Modest, Variable Pay Awards Reach Record High
Hewitt Associates LLC

ICC Plan Solutions Completes Major Enrollment Kit Application Upgrade
ICC Plan Solutions

Bridges to Excellence Physician Reward Program Expands National Presence -- from Maine to Georgia
Bridges to Excellence (BTE)

Keller Rohrback L.L.P. Announces Investigation of the Countrywide Financial Corp. 401(k) Savings and Investment Plan
Keller Rohrback

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Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings
( Post a Job | View All Jobs | RSS Feed )

Attorney Benefits / ERISA
for Constangy, Brooks & Smith, LLC
in AL

Retirement Plan Specialist
for Diversified Investment Advisors
in MI

401(k) Plan Daily Recordkeeper
for Scott, Tellier & Co., Inc.
in AZ

Pension Administrator
for Lurie Besikof Lapidus & Company, LLP
in MN

Compliance Specialist
for The Newport Group
in NC

Employee Benefits Paralegal
for Downtown NYC law firm
in NY

Associate Consultant (Actuary)
for Fidelity Investments
in MA

Benefits Manager
for AmTrust Bank
in OH

Associate Consultant (Actuary)
for Fidelity Investments
in MA

Pension Analyst
for T Rowe Price
in MD

Vice President, Retirement Programs and Services
for The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA)
in VA

Retirement Plan Administrator
for Howard Simon & Associates
in IL

ERISA / Executive Compensation Attorney
for Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP
in GA

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Handy Links:

• View Today's Active Message Threads
• Using the Web for Employee Benefits Research (hypertext article)
• Employee Benefits Library

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