Willis

HRFocus Archive – 2008

Issue 17 – December 4, 2008

• Since You Asked: Adding Eligibility Restrictions Based on Student Status
• It’s Time Again…To Impute Income on Group Term Life Insurance
• CMS: New Data Collection Requirements to Enforce MSP
• Promoting Health FSA Program Usage
• Massachusetts Regulates Protection of Personal Information
• New Bicycle Commuter Benefit
• Building a Healthy Worksite Culture
• Survey: EB Communication Gap

Issue 16 – November 13, 2008

• Michelle’s Law Signed into Law
• Key Benefit Provisions in the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008
• IRS Notice Provides Guidance on Health FSA Distributions Under the Heart Act
• Did the Plan Administrator Act Arbitrarily in Denying Benefits for a Drunk Driving Injury?
• Despite Disclaimer Language, Courts Will Not Enforce Plan Language If It Differs From SPD Language
• Recent Rise In ERISA Stock Drop Cases
• Workplace Safety Saving Employer Dollars In PA
• Healthy People Make Healthy Companies: Best Practices for Wellness Programs

Special Issue – October 31, 2008

• Americans with Disabilities Act Amended to Provide More Protection to Disabled

Issue 15 – October 30, 2008

• No Payment for Medical Mistakes
• Massachusetts Health Care Reform Act: Fair Share Contribution Requirements More Onerous
• Issue Spotlight: Charitable Organizations and ERISA Applicability
• Employers Revisit Commuter Benefits
• Cost-of-Living Adjustments for 2009
• HR: Employees Much More Outspoken on Politics
• 4 Keys to Fair Disciplinary Actions
• Gov't Releases Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans

Issue 14 – October 16, 2008

• Paid Family and Sick Leave Campaigns: Scoring With Voters?
• New Efforts to Combat Health Care Fraud
• Rewards Drive Success in Wellness
• New Hampshire Mandates Obesity Coverage and Bariatric Surgery
• DOL Tools And Workshops for Health Plans
• Mental Health Parity Act
• OK to Dock Pay for Time Taken to Address Work-Related Injury?

Issue 13 – October 7, 2008

• Creating a Wellness Budget
• Patients Load Credit Cards with Medical Service Debt
• Issue Spotlight: Notice of Privacy Practices
• Older Workers Working Longer
• Top 50 Employers for Older Workers
• Healthcare Coverage Increasingly Factoring into Matrimony
• Group Drops State Ballot Fight for Paid Sick Days

Issue 12 – September 18, 2008

• Over-Age and Under-Insured: Extending Benefits for Dependents
• Proposed IRS Rules: Time to Review Cafeteria Plans?
• HIPAA Goes Hollywood: the Sequel
• Funding Increases for Massachusetts Healthcare Reform
• Report: Economy Is Weakening Job Candidates' Bargaining Power
• Wellness Case Story #3 – On-Site Clinic Is Win-Win for Employees and Employer
• San Francisco Legislating Healthy Habits
• 30% Of Employers Don't Update Employees On Financial Results

Issue 11 – September 4, 2008

• Issue Spotlight: Communicating With Non-English Speaking Employees
• New Jersey Healthcare Reform
• CMS Revises Medicare Part D/Creditable Coverage Disclosure Form
• Mandated Benefits – What’s The Cost?
• Wellness Case Story #2 – C-Suite Embraces Wellness Culture
• Study: Insured Losing Healthcare Access
• Sc State Workers Face Insurance Surcharge for Tobacco Use
• Watercooler Politics: What Can Employers Do to Keep the Peace?
• Monthly Highlight – Checklist: Notices to Include in Health Plan Annual Enrollment Materials

Issue 10 – August 21, 2008

• Variable Compensation Programs: Staying Compliant With the FLSA
• Issue Spotlight: FMLA Enforcement
• IRS Unveils Fix-It Guides for Section 401(K) Plan Sponsors
• San Francisco HCSO
• In Some States, More than 30 Percent of Adults Say They're Obese
• Employers Holding Steady on Benefits, Despite Economy
• Wellness Case Story #1 – Large Manufacturing Client

Issue 9 – August 7, 2008

• Wellness at The Worksite
• Gearing Up for Open Enrollment: Communicate!
• Managing Claims and Plan Funds Is a Conflict Of Interest: Court Ruling
• Heart Starts Pumping Relief to Veterans and Their Families
• Increase in Federal Minimum Wage
• Climbing the Regulatory Mountain with a DOL Map
• Controlling Medicare Costs: Admission of Hospital Readmissions
• Study: Lower Drug Co-Pays Can Lower Health Plan Costs

Issue 8 – July 24, 2008

• HAS Guidance: Keep Those Contributions Tax-Free
• Since You Asked: How Will Our Plan Be Affected By Same-Sex Marriage?
• General Healthcare/ERISA Reform
• Maine: Health Reform Act
• Wellness: What Is the Value?
• Baby Boomers Not Retiring in Big Numbers
• Study: Record Usage of Prescription Drugs

Issue 7 – July 10, 2008

• Wellness: What Is The ROI?
• IRS Updates Disaster Tax Relief Info
• Massachusetts Healthcare Reform
• CMS Rolls Out Healthcare Quality Measurement Tool
• Since You Asked: How Will Our Plan Be Affected by Same-Sex Marriage?
• New Executive Order Requires Federal Contractors to Verify Employment Eligibility Electronically
• Accrued Sick And Safe Leave Act of 2008
• DOL Proposes Fee Disclosure Guidance
• IRS Issues Guidance On HSA Contribution Limits
• As We Go To Press: More HSA Guidance Announced by the IRS
• Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Compliance Can Be Challenging.

Issue 6 – June 19, 2008

• You’ve Selected Your HRIS System – Now What?
• The Fair Labor Standards Act: The Source of Exemption Status
• Opportunities in Pharmacy Benefits
• Issue Spotlight: What Triggers COBRA Rights?
• Post-Mastectomy Costs Can Be Shared
• Paid Family Leave for NJ Employees
• As We Go To Press: HSA Contribution Rule Update
• Survey: Healthcare Among Leading Consumer Concerns
• Rhode Island Lawmakers Target Hospital Errors
• Child Labor Laws and Summer Hiring: An Update On Recent Developments

Issue 5 – June 5, 2008

• HSAs May Be in Jeopardy
• Proposed Bill Would Promote Domestic Partner Coverage
• Since You Asked: Re-Enrolling After Waiving Health Coverage
• Health Records Mistakenly Posted on Web
• New Jersey Enacts Paid Leave Requirement
• President Signs Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act Of 2007 (GINA)
• Drug Trends: Good News and Bad News
• IRS Announces Inflation Adjustments for Health Savings Accounts

Issue 4 – May 22, 2008

• Effective Wellness Communications
• Wellness: Keys to Success
• Finalized Rules on Comparable Contributions to HSAs
• Medicare and Social Security: Still a Grim Prognosis
• Legislative Update: Prosthetic Parity Act
• Healthcare Industry: New Target for Identity Theft
• Diners Paying for Healthcare Mandate
• IRS Announces Inflation Adjustments for Health Savings Accounts

Issue 3 – May 8, 2008

• Yet Another HIPAA Compliance Deadline
• Supreme Court Refuses Appeal of Retiree Health Case
• Consumerism – Panacea or Passing Fad?
• Another Attempt to Help Small Businesses Afford Benefits
• Supreme Court Could Change the Way Claims Are Handled
• DOL Sues Executives and Investment Firm to Recover Pension Plan Funds
• It’s That Time: Change-In-Status Season

Issue 2 – April 24, 2008

• Court Rejects Policy Requiring Prior Overtime Approval
• EEOC Offers New Discrimination Statistics
• FMLA And Medical Certifications
• Employer Health Coverage Expected By Employees
• Getting Started on the Road to Wellness
• Enforcing English-Only Rules at the Workplace
• Stabilizing Pay Issues for Expatriate Workers
• Insurers Stop Paying for Care Linked to Errors

Issue 1, April 10, 2008

• DOL Weighs In On ERISA Preemption
• House Passes Mental Health Coverage Mandate
• More FMLA Changes on the Way
• 2008 Version of Massachusetts HIRD Form Released
• IRS Confirms Limits on Executive Compensation Deduction
• TRICARE-Eligible Employees
• Why Wellness?
• Selecting An HRIS System
• Payroll Provider Survey Results

FOCUS on Benefits Archive - 2008

March 2008

• California: Retiree Healthcare Crisis
• Oregon's Domestic Partnership On Hold
• Dol Releases Ebsa Enforcement Results For Fiscal Year 2007
• Nonprofit Hospital's Plan Is Not Erisa Exempt
• Obesity: Generating Heavy Costs
• Health Insurance Subsidies For Small Employers
• Medicare Drug Benefit Fueling Healthcare Spending Increase
• Insurance Carriers And Cobra Obligations
• Older Workers Working Longer
• Since You Asked: Can Fsas Pay For Medical Tourism?

February 2008

• EEOC Releases Final Regulations on Retiree Health
• State of the States: Selected Updates
• Uncertain Future: San Francisco's Mandated Coverage Ordinance
• IRS Sets 2008 Standard Mileage Rates: Rate for Business 50.5 Cents/Mile
• Misclassified Workers to File New Social Security Tax Form
• Workplace Blogging: Blessing or Burden?
• Spotlight On: ERISA and "Payroll Practices"

January 2008

• Form 5500 - California Wildfires Lead to Deadline Extension
• Further Changes Are Coming
• Medicare Eligibility and Benefits: What Should Employers Do?
• States' Rights: More States Enacting Cafeteria Plan Requirements
• Opt-Out Reminder to Eligible Government Entities
• TRICARE: New Requirements Go into Effect January 1, 2008
• FMLA Enforcement
• Spotlight On . . . High Cost of Maternity in a High-Deductible Health Plan