Willis

FOCUS on Benefits Archive - 2007

December 2007

• USCIS Revises Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9
• Wellness Initiatives: Are Employers Getting Aggressive?
• ADA: When is Cancer Considered a Disability?
• States Expand Leave Opportunities Related to Military Service
• Survey Finds: Long-Term Care Insurance Buyers Younger
• General Healthcare/ERISA Reform
• Delinquent Filer Voluntary Compliance (DFVC) Penalty Calculator
• On the Campaign Trail: Democrats Promote Federal Government Health Plan
• Since You Asked: Mid-Year Premium Hikes and COBRA

November 2007

• Supplemental Wellness Programs: DOL to Weigh In
• IRS: Additional Time to Prepare NQ Deferred Compensation Plan Documents
• Washington Update: Mental Health Parity
• State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)
• Healthcare Reform Moves Forward in California
• Comparing US and European Healthcare Costs
• HIPAA Goes Hollywood
• Prescription Drug Inflation Slowing
• Issue Spotlight: Discount Health Plans?

October 2007

• Review of Retiree Healthcare Bias Ruling Denied
• IRS Finalizes Rules Regarding Dependent Care Expenses
• HSAs and FSAs Show Modest Growth
• Maine Adds Domestic Partner Protections to State Family Leave Law
• FAS No. 158: Changes Employer Retiree Medical Liability Disclosure Rule
• ERISA Exemption: "Payroll Practices"
• Since You Asked: Spousal Restrictions in Health Coverage
• Issue Spotlight: Incentives for an Aging Workforce

September 2007

• IRS Issues New Proposed Cafeteria Plan Regulations
• Washington Update: Wellness Bill Introduced in Senate
• Rhode Island Cafeteria Plan
• DOL Reports on FMLA Comments
• Back to the Future? Study Attests to Effectiveness of Traditional Diabetes Meds
• Media Adds to VEBA Confusion
• Medicaid Programs Affected by Doctor Shortage
• Spotlight On... High Cost of Maternity in a High-Deductible Health Plan

August 2007

• Plan Sponsors Prohibited from Offering TRICARE Supplements
• Massachusetts Health Care Reform Act Update
• Wellness Programs Gaining Acceptance?
• RDS Reconciliation Process: The Other 12-Step Program
• Health Savings Account Plans - Starting to Falter?
• New Trend: Health Clinics inside Retail Stores
• Issue Spotlight: COBRA's Small Employer Definition
• Since You Asked: Can Insurance Premiums Be Paid from an FSA?

July 2007

• Third Circuit Rules on the Side of the EEOC in Retiree Health Case
• US Health Insurance Statistics
• IRS: More HSA Guidance
• Study: Fitness Program Slashes Claims
• State Update: Universal Healthcare
• Mandatory Electronic Filing of Form 5500: Delay
• Employers Struggle to Entice Employees to Save for Retirement
• Spotlight On... HIPAA and Privacy

June 2007

• Wellness Programs: GM Demonstrates Strong ROI
• IRS Issues HSA Limits for 2008
• Self-Inflicted Injury: Covered or Not?
• Retirees' Health Needs Are Rising
• 2006: Big Growth Year for Health Savings Accounts
• Changes in Pension Accounting
• A Win for Wal-Mart
• Massachusetts Connector Releases Regulations
• Issue Spotlight: The Plan Amendment Process

May 2007

• CMS Hopes the Third Time Is the Charm
• Congress to Revisit Mental Health Parity
• Washington Update: Healthy Families Act
• Congress and Pension Reform
• Oral Contraception Coverage Optional
• Dirty Dozen Tax Scams for 2007
• Reemploying Reservists
• Higher Costs Mean Fewer Buyers
• Issue Spotlight: FMLA Complaints Shifting Focus
• Since You Asked: "FMLA-like" Protections for Domestic Partners

April 2007

• Health Care: Key 2008 Election Issue
• Tax Guidance Costs Tax Dollars
• Lawmakers Considering New 401(k) Rules
• $2 Billion in Health Care Fraud Recovered
• Employers Mull Retiree Health Coverage Options
• Paying to Pay for Health Care?
• Survey: Female Workers Worry About Health Care Expenses
• EEOC Discrimination Filings Rise
• Congress to Consider Paid Sick Leave
• Future FMLA Expansion?
• EAPs: ERISA and COBRA Implications
• Issue Spotlight: HSA Contribution Limits

March 2007

• Congress Caps Deferred Comp?
• FMLA: Persistent Employer Pain
• On-Site Health Clinics: Cost Cutting Tool?
• Stronger Oversight of 401(k)s
• Does Medicare Bonus Improve Quality?
• Update: Massachusetts Health Care Reform Act
• COBRA - No Free Rides
• Beneficiary Will Sue Plan Fiduciary

February 2007

• President Bush Announces Broad Health Benefits Proposal
• Merger Agreement Amends ERISA Plan
• National Healthcare Spending Slows
• Nondiscrimination Regulations and Wellness Programs
• Department of Labor Announces 2006 Form M-1
• IRS: Transition Relief for Payment Cards
• Doctors Seek to Sue Blue Cross
• Laptop Guidance and Electronic PHI
• Congress Eager for Part D Enrollment Numbers
• California's Proposed Health Care Reform
• Wal-Mart: FSA Debit Card Technology Leader
• Since You Asked: COBRA and Medicaid

January 2007

• San Francisco Workers Granted Paid Sick Time
• Family Deductibles That Permit HDHP Coverage
• Clear SPDs Required
• Elder Care Benefits
• California Modifies Sexual Harassment Training
• Eligibility and Severance Agreements
• Improving HSAs and Other Employee Benefits