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=========================================================== BenefitsLink Welfare Plans Newsletter (Plain Text Format) December 16, 2004 =========================================================== We thank and invite your attention to today's sponsor: BenefitsLink.com =========================================================== Downloadable Software Available Now! (Advert.) <URL:http://benefitslink.com/modperl/a_d.cgi?a_d=2004_12_16_welfare> http://benefitslink.com/modperl/a_d.cgi?a_d=2004_12_16_welfare (Click on above address, or copy and paste it into your web browser, to learn more.) Now you can buy employee benefits software on the Internet quickly and securely, through a web site you know and trust. Come back at any time and buy other software just by clicking a link and entering a password, without having to go through all the credit card info and other online forms all over again. The Downloadable Software page on BenefitsLink-- click above for details! ---------------------------------------------------------- Draft Health Practice Note 2004-1, December 2004, Small Group Medical Business (PDF) <URL:http://www.actuary.org/pdf/practnotes/health_small.pdf> http://www.actuary.org/pdf/practnotes/health_small.pdf 14 pages. Excerpt: "This practice note was prepared by a work group organized by the Health Practice Financial Reporting Committee of the American Academy of Actuaries. The work group was charged with updating a previous version of this practice note that described some of the current practices used by health actuaries in the United States for determining actuarial reserves and liabilities for small group health business." (American Academy of Actuaries) ---------------------------------------------------------- Healthcare Security Workgroup to Issue Guidelines on HIPAA Data Security Rules <URL:http://www.ihealthbeat.org/index.cfm?Action=dspItem&itemID=108006> http://www.ihealthbeat.org/index.cfm?Action=dspItem&itemID=108006 Excerpt: "The Healthcare Security Workgroup this month will issue guidelines for complying with HIPAA's data security requirements, which take effect in April, Computerworld reports.' (California HealthCare Foundation via The Advisory Board Company) ---------------------------------------------------------- High Cost of Medical Care Prompts Consumers to Seek Alternative Treatments <URL:http://www.hschange.com/CONTENT/722/> http://www.hschange.com/CONTENT/722/ Excerpt: "Nearly 6 million American adults turned to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to treat specific health conditions, such as depression and chronic pain, in the past year because conventional medical treatment was too expensive, according to the 2002 National Health Interview Survey." (Center for Studying Health System Change) ---------------------------------------------------------- Critics in a Lather Over Berkeley, California's Public Workers' Health Club Deal <URL:http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/12/15/BAG75ABKIB1.DTL> http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/12/15/BAG75ABKIB1.DTL Excerpt: "Employees have had the perk as part of their contract since 1989, when the city cut a deal under which it picked up three-fourths of the tab at the local YMCA. The workers pick up the rest. But the city's costs for the program have escalated over the years as membership fees have risen." (San Francisco Chronicle) ---------------------------------------------------------- Jack in the Box Adds Health Plan for All Employees: Program to Cut Turnover in Its Hourly Work Force <URL:http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/20041216-9999-1b16jbx.html> http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/20041216-9999-1b16jbx.html Excerpt: "In an effort to reduce employee turnover, fast-food purveyor Jack in the Box recently began offering all its hourly restaurant employees access to health insurance. While many fast-food chains offer benefits, experts say Jack in the Box's program is unusual because it is available to everyone, offers a variety of options and is partially employer-paid." (SignOnSanDiego.com) ---------------------------------------------------------- California Employer Health Benefits 2004 Annual Survey (PDF) <URL:http://www.chcf.org/documents/insurance/HRETEmployerSurvey2004.pdf> http://www.chcf.org/documents/insurance/HRETEmployerSurvey2004.pdf 40 pages. Excerpt: "The annual survey of California employers provides detailed insights into trends in employer-based health coverage, including changes in premiums, employee contributions, cost-sharing policies, and other relevant information." (California Healthcare Foundation) ---------------------------------------------------------- Mandatory Health Insurance Urged for All Californians; Critics Say Subsidies for Poor Needed <URL:http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-health15dec15,1,5163867.story> http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-health15dec15,1,5163867.story Excerpt: "The concept of requiring all Californians to carry their own health insurance is gaining momentum in the Capitol, as some lawmakers and healthcare advocates see it as a politically viable way to deal with the state's 5.3 million uninsured." (Los Angeles Times; one-time registration required) ---------------------------------------------------------- Texas Lt. Governor Suggests Tax Break for Firms: Businesses That Have Health Plans Would Benefit <URL:http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/2947998> http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/2947998 Excerpt: "The state could make a significant, long-term dent in its health care crisis by giving a tax break to businesses that provide health coverage for their employees, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst suggested Tuesday." (Houston Chronicle) ---------------------------------------------------------- Medicare Disadvantaged and the Search for the Elusive 'Level Playing Field' <URL:http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/full/hlthaff.w4.572/DC1> http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/full/hlthaff.w4.572/DC1 Excerpt: "Although MMA gives a clear preference to private plans to start a fundamental restructuring of Medicare, the question remains whether Congress will maintain overpayments to private plans when faced with the pressure to reduce budget deficits." (Health Affairs) ========================================================== Links To Items on Executive Comp, Benefits In General ---------------------------------------------------------- Overview: Mellon's HR&IS Issues Survey on Nontraditional Family Benefit Coverage (PDF) <URL:http://www.mellon.com/hris/pdf/fyi_12_15_04b.pdf> http://www.mellon.com/hris/pdf/fyi_12_15_04b.pdf 1 page. Excerpt: "Mellon's Human Resources & Investor Solutions has released a new survey examining the extent to which employers provide benefits to nontraditional family members. The survey, which includes responses from 576 organizations nationwide, also asked companies if and how they are responding to recent same-sex marriage developments." (Mellon's Human Resources & Investor Solutions) ---------------------------------------------------------- IRS Official Reports 'Steady Progress' on Deferred Compensation Guidance Under 2004 Jobs Act <URL:http://hr.cch.com/news/pen-ben/stories/121404a.asp> http://hr.cch.com/news/pen-ben/stories/121404a.asp Excerpt: "Nicholas J. DeNovio, Deputy Chief Counsel (Technical), reports that nonqualified deferred compensation guidance with respect to the requirements of Code Sec. 409A implemented by the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 (P.L. 108-357) remains on track to be issued on time and by its December 21, 2004 statutory deadline. According to DeNovio, who provided an update on December 6 at IRS headquarters in Washington, 'steady progress is being made' on the first wave of guidance." (CCH Pension & Benefits News) ---------------------------------------------------------- Overview: Bush Signs Veterans Law –- New Employer Responsibilities (PDF) <URL:http://www.mellon.com/hris/pdf/fyi_12_15_04.pdf> http://www.mellon.com/hris/pdf/fyi_12_15_04.pdf 2 pages. Excerpt: "President Bush signed the Veterans Benefits Improvement Act of 2004 into law on December 10, 2004. Among the many provisions that expand the rights and benefits of veterans are a few that impact employers. The new law requires employers to post a notice of affected employees' rights and obligations under the Uniform Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994. It also expands the period for which employers must offer employees called to active military ...." (Mellon Financial Corporation) ---------------------------------------------------------- >From the ERISA Report for Plan Sponsors, December 2004 -- 'What's Next for Employee Benefits?' <URL:http://reish.com/publications/article_detail.cfm?ARTICLEID=496> http://reish.com/publications/article_detail.cfm?ARTICLEID=496 Excerpt: "[W]e have asked Bruce [Ashton] to comment on his view of the next five years-from the vantage of his recent position as ASPPA's president. How does the benefits world look with the added perspective of heading a national organization of plan providers? Bruce's thoughts are in the article ....' (Reish Luftman Reicher & Cohen) ---------------------------------------------------------- BLS Report on Employer Costs for Employee Compensation - September 2004 <URL:http://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.nr0.htm> http://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.nr0.htm Excerpt: "Employer costs for employee compensation averaged $25.36 per hour worked in September 2004, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Wages and salaries, which averaged $17.96, accounted for 70.8 percent of these costs, while benefits, which averaged $7.40, accounted for the remaining 29.2 percent." (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) ========================================================== Newly Posted Events 401(k) Plans in Washington on March 29, 2005 presented by Employee Benefits Institute of America Inc. (EBIA) <URL:http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=39019> http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=39019 Cafeteria Plans in Washington on March 30, 2005 presented by Employee Benefits Institute of America Inc. (EBIA) <URL:http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=39018> http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=39018 HSAs, HRAs, & Consumer-Driven Health Care in Washington on March 31, 2005 presented by Employee Benefits Institute of America Inc. (EBIA) <URL:http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=39020> http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=39020 The ABCs of Making 401(k) Plans Work Better: From Do-It-Yourself to Automated Solutions in Ohio on January 13, 2005 presented by Worldwide Employee Benefits Network (WEB) - Cleveland Chapter <URL:http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=39021> http://benefitslink.com/events/detail.php?id=39021 Post yours! http://benefitslink.com/events/eventmaint.php ========================================================== Newly Posted Press Releases www.ftwilliam.com announces the availability of 2004 DOL-approved 5500 Forms (ftwilliam.com) http://benefitslink.com/pr/detail.php?id=38520 Post yours! http://benefitslink.com/pr/maint.php ========================================================== Newly Posted or Renewed Job Openings Associate Attorney for Kraw & Kraw in CA http://benefitslink.com/modperl/show_a_job.cgi?id=H40839 Multi Process HRO HR Specialist for Hewitt Associates in TX http://benefitslink.com/modperl/show_a_job.cgi?id=H41242 Pension/401 (k) Administrator in San Diego for Polycomp Administrative Services, Inc., a leading TPA firm with 3 offices. in CA http://benefitslink.com/modperl/show_a_job.cgi?id=H41244 Plan Specialist for Transamerica in CA http://benefitslink.com/modperl/show_a_job.cgi?id=H41246 Account Executive – Cleveland, OH for Transamerica in OH http://benefitslink.com/modperl/show_a_job.cgi?id=H41247 Post yours! http://benefitslink.com/jobs/post_help_wanted.html =========================================================== Subscribe to the BenefitsLink Retirement Plans Newsletter, Too Sign-up form is at: <URL:http://benefitslink.com/newsletter/> http://benefitslink.com/newsletter =========================================================== Copyright 2004 BenefitsLink.com, Inc.; except that you can forward this email in full (if you also include this boilerplate part) or otherwise reprint this email in full (if you include this boilerplate part) without obtaining our permission. 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