Health plans - policy (BenefitsLink.com)Headlines re Health plans - policy, gathered by BenefitsLink.comOpinion Employers Need to Better Understand Terms Used in Many of the Healthcare Reform Proposals- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "Most employers and employer groups (that are made up of employers that provide health insurance) now share a common desire for a level 'access' field, a level 'paying' field, and a level 'tax subsidy' field. The definitions of these commonly used words leave a great deal of room for disagreement, however." (Dallas Salisbury via Human Resource Executive Online)http://www.hreonline.com/HRE/story.jsp?storyId=101103577 Opinion Want Universal Health Care The Operative Word Is 'Care'- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "If a lack of health insurance were truly a white middle-class crisis, then conservatives and liberals would long ago have joined together, carved out a compromise and done something. Instead, we're served a constantly recycled set of excuses for legislative stalemate." (The Washington Post; free registration required)http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/06/AR2008060603498.html Pay or Play: State Mandated Health Care Laws (PDF)- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Pages 7-10 of 11 pages. Excerpt: "Currently, twenty-eight states (see http:www.epionline.orghc_symposium.cfm) have introduced legislation that requires employers to: (i) pay for a minimum level of health care benefits for their employees&894; or (ii) pay an assessment to the government sponsoring the law. These laws not only increase the cost for employers doing business in these states, but also increase the burdens imposedon human resource personnel, often requiring additional reporting and...http://www.proskauer.com/news_publications/newsletters/erisa/2008_03_31/_res/id=sa_PDF/160... JAMA Commentary Examines Legal Barriers to Improving Health Care Delivery System- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "'Legal Reforms Necessary To Promote Delivery System Innovation,' Journal of the American Medical Association: The JAMA commentary by Timothy Stoltzfus Jost of the Washington and Lee School of Law and Ezekiel Emanuel of NIH examines how the current legal environment has created significant barriers to improving the U.S. health care delivery system." (Kaiser Family Foundation)http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=52536 Senate Finance Committee Hears Testimony in Preparation for Major Health System Overhaul Efforts Next Year- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "Lawmakers should not overstate the ability of health care information technology, quality improvement efforts and medical liability reform to reduce health care costs, Paul Ginsburg, president of the Center for Studying Health System Change, testified on Tuesday at a Senate Finance Committee hearing, CQ HealthBeat reports." (Kaiser Family Foundation)http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=52525 Urban Institute's Health Policy Center Web Site- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "The new Web site -- www.healthpolicycenter.org, created by the Urban Institute's Health Policy Center -- provides research, commentaries, congressional testimonies, statistics and facts. It also highlights the institute's work on a variety of health-related topics, including state and federal health reform, public health coverage, Medicaid, SCHIP, Medicare and private health insurance, among others . . . ." (Urban Institute)http://www.urban.org/health_policy/ ERISA Abroad: Extraterritorial Application of ERISA to U.S. Employees in other Countries- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "Paul Secunda . . . has just posted on SSRN his article 'The Longest Journey, with a First Step': Bringing Coherence to Sovereignty and Jurisdictional Issues in Global Employee Benefits Law." (Workplace Prof Blog)http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/laborprof_blog/2008/05/erisa-abroad.html Guidance Overview Hewitt Federal Legislation Quick Guide Updated May 28, 2008, for Health and Welfare Plans (PDF)- (Found June 19, 2008 ) 11 pages. This Federal Legislation Quick Guide provides short updates on federal legislation that is currently under active consideration by Congress or has recently been enacted into law regarding health and welfare benefit plans. (Hewitt Associates)http://www.hewittassociates.com/_MetaBasicCMAssetCache_/Assets/Legislative%20Updates/Quick... Wall Street Journal Examines High-Risk Insurance Pools Proposed by Presumptive Republican Nominee McCain- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "The Wall Street Journal on Monday examined a proposal from presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) to 'bolster the role of high-risk pools' that market health insurance to individuals with pre-existing medical conditions." (Kaiser Family Foundation)http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/health2008dr.cfm?DR_ID=52471 SEC Says Companies Must Let Shareholders Vote on Health Care Proposals- (Found June 19, 2008 ) Excerpt: "The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has shifted its position and is telling companies they must allow shareholders to vote on a proposal for universal health insurance coverage." (PLANSPONSOR.com; free registration required)http://www.plansponsor.com/pi_type10/?RECORD_ID=41693 |