BenefitsLink Health & Welfare Plans Newsletter
Employee Benefits Jobs
Defined Contribution Relationship Manager
for Milliman in TX
401(k) / Defined Contribution Plan Administrator
for R.J.L. Pension Services, Inc. in FL
Account Manager - Health & Welfare
for The Plexus Groupe in IL
VP and Chief Operating Officer
for United Retirement Plan Consultants in CA
Senior Conversion Manager
for Charles Schwab in OH
DB Plan Administration Services Manager
for Charles Schwab in OH
Actuarial Consultant
for Charles Schwab in OH
401(k) Relationship Manager
for Industry Leading Financial Services Firm in IL, MO
Post Your Job on EmployeeBenefitsJobs.com
Webcasts and Conferences
"Ethics: A Practical Understanding of the Rules" Web Seminar Nationwide on November 29, 2011 presented by SunGard Relius
Changes to Cafeteria Plans: What You Need to Know to Prepare Nationwide on November 1, 2011 presented by Lorman Education Services
COBRA: A Little of Everything is Changing Nationwide on November 29, 2011 presented by Lorman Education Services
We also publish the BenefitsLink Retirement Plans Newsletter (free): Subscribe
"While this case doesn't break much new legal ground on the minimum requirements for plan amendments, the bankrup.tcy element adds an interesting twist. The case also serves as a helpful reminder that plan sponsors should exercise caution when undertaking benefit obligations in writing, whatever the form." (Thomson Reuters/EBIA)
Health & Welfare Benefit Plans National Institute, Washington, DC [Advert.]
Learn the latest on PPACA, HITECH, Wellness Programs, benefits for same s.ex spouses and health and welfare benefits litigation. Sessions include practical breakouts, two ethics topics, lively updates on legislative, regulatory and other developments.
Health Insurance Mandates in the States, 2010 (PDF)
"[This report] is published along with three other related reports and should be reviewed in their entirety in order to gain a complete picture of the mandated benefit and provider chart. The total mandate count for the 2010 edition is 2,156 up from 2,133 in the 2009 edition." (Council for Affordable Health Insurance)
Medicare Part D Plan Premiums Expected to Rise an Average of 4%
"The 4% average premium increase is the lowest projected increase since the program began, although premium changes will vary widely across plans . . . ." (Wolters Kluwer Law & Business / CCH)
Can a Small Business Insurance Marketplace Take Root in Florida?
"Florida Health Choices was created in 2008 by the state legislature—with the idea of promoting competition and transparency in the health insurance market to bring prices down for small businesses. But it is still not operational. It was set to open this past summer, but has been delayed as it continues to try to recruit health insurance companies to sign up and offer their products." (The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation)
Insurers and Employers Offer Incentives to Promote Healthful Habits
"Health insurance giant Humana Inc. has begun offering camping gear, cameras and even hotel rooms in the Caribbean to customers who see the doctor and undergo tests for blood pressure and cholesterol." (Los Angeles Times)
Premiums, Deductibles and Cost Sharing in Employer Health Plans Keep Rising
"On the plus side, nearly two-thirds of companies are still offering health insurance to their employees, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation's annual survey of employer health benefits." (The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation)
Amex Equalizes Health Costs for G.ay Employees
"The movement to reimburse g.ay employees for the extra taxes they must pay has gained momentum in recent weeks: American Express joins Morgan Stanley and Bank of America, which also recently announced that they would adopt the policy." (The New York Times; free registration required)
GAO Report: Meaningful Health Care Price Information Difficult for Consumers to Obtain Prior to Receiving Care
"GAO recommends that [HHS] determine the feasibility of making estimates of complete costs of health care services available to consumers, and, as appropriate, identify next steps." (U.S. Government Accountability Office)
Implementation and Annual Ongoing Costs of Compliance with Summary of Benefits and Coverage Proposed Rule (PDF)
"The AHIP survey indicates that the implementation and ongoing costs of the SBC requirement could be considerably higher than those estimated by HHS in the NPRM." (America's Health Insurance Plans)
"For the reasons discussed [in this letter], the Council requests an immediate sub-regulatory communication clarifying that new PHSA section 2715 will not apply with respect to enrollment restrictions occurring on or after March 23, 2012. This clarification is needed immediately to ensure that plan sponsors do not expend resources unnecessarily in the next several weeks or months to implement the proposed rules." (American Benefits Council)
"We appreciate the opportunity to comment on the Summary of Benefits and Coverage and the Uniform Glossary NPRM. We hope that you take these comments into consideration as you develop a final rule which will impose fewer burdens and costs on the health coverage provided by employer-sponsored plans for more than 160 mil.lion Americans." (American Benefits Council)
Benefits in General; Executive Compensation
"Code Section 132(g) allows employers to provide certain moving expense reimbursements directly or indirectly to their employees on a tax-free basis, so long as the moving expenses would have qualified for a deduction from income on the employee's individual federal income tax return." (Thomson Reuters/EBIA)
IRS Guidance on Federal Income Tax Returns for Registered Domestic Partners in Community Property States
"The IRS released a set of Questions and Answers to supplement Publication 555 Community Property regarding the preparation of Federal income tax returns for same-s.ex spouses in California and registered domestic partners in California, Nevada and Washington. The Q&As address various topics, including head of household status, claiming children as dependents and claiming adoption credits." (Deloitte via BenefitsLink.com)
Press Releases
2Q BOLI Assets Up and Trending Toward Hybrid Accounts (Meyer-Chatfield)
Bruce Ashton Receives Highest Honor From ASPPA At Annual Conference (Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP)
Retirement Calculators for New York City Employees (Thomann Tax & Asset Management, Inc.)
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