Blogs / Tags / Healthcare Legislation & Compliance

In response to a large number of questions received regarding eligibility for the COBRA premium reduction under current law, the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) has updated the COBRA page (www.dol.gov/COBRA) to add new FAQs here. We ... More...

Over the past few months there certainly has been no shortage of articles or news clips on Healthcare reform. I have put together a short survey to try and guage how Human Resources views Healthcare Reform and what benefits it could bring to their o... More...

The United States has declared a “health emergency” regarding an outbreak of swine influenza A (H1N1). As of April 28, 2009, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed 64 cases of infected individuals in five states (N... More...

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On January 26, 2009, the United States Supreme Court issued a unanimous opinion in Kennedy v. Plan Administrator for the DuPont Savings & Investment Plan, No. 07-636. This case generated significant interest because it promised to resolve the oft... More...

With unemployment rising sharply and spanning across a broad range of industries, many Human Resources professionals today are coping with the fallout from layoffs, helping soon-to-be-gone employees understand their rights and options. Add the pre... More...

Reprinted with permission from Health Progress, the Journal of the Catholic Health Association of the United States. Health care reform was expected to be one of the three issues that would determine the outcome of the 2008 presidential election ... More...

By Laura Simcox, SPHR, Solution Manager – Human Resources, Perceptive Software With the current economic downturn, human resources (HR) departments are looking for ways to eliminate inefficiency and introduce new cost saving measures. From... More...

Co-authored by Patrick Sherman and Neal Mollen In an extraordinary act of bi-partisan activism by Congress, President Bush, and business groups, tens of millions of additional Americans have become "disabled within the meaning of the Americans wi... More...

It would be easy, in this long run of important presidential primaries, to be convinced that the problems we have with our health care system can only be resolved through government action and the political process. After all, presidential candidates... More...

This 8th Circuit (Minnesota) case is a good reminder that employee termination can be in violation of ERISA if the employee can show that the termination occurred to prevent him or her from receiving health care insurance benefits. At issue was an e... More...

Although industry surveys indicate that employers anticipate strong growth in consumer-driven healthcare plans (CDHC), low selection rates remain a significant stumbling block among employees offered such plans as one option among many, according to ... More...

The Principal Financial Group(R) today announces the 2006 winners of The Principal(R) 10 Best Companies for Employee Financial Security. The independent panel of judges who selected the winners praised the companies for their ongoing commitment... More...

As health care spending in Japan continues to balloon, a large and growing proportion is spent on care for the elderly. The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) is planning a new, separate national health insurance system for the elderl... More...

Companies are investing more in health and productivity management (HPM) programs in an effort to stem rising health care costs, yet have found it difficult to evaluate their economic return, impact on employee health status and overall return on inv... More...

Regulations such as the USA PATRIOT Act are forcing both public and private enterprises to address all types of risk - not just financial. Enterprises can avoid non-compliance fines and penalties by establishing an Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) fr... More...

At a time when a number of the nation's largest employers are freezing their defined benefit (DB) pension plans, Mercer Human Resource Consulting is today launching a new comprehensive program, Mercer Frozen Plan Solutions, to help employers better m... More...

Excerpted from California Employment Law Letter, written by attorneys at the law firm Perkins Coie LLP Pension plans are typically a vested benefit, which can't be easily cut. On the other hand, medical plans are generally "welfare benefits,&... More...

Over the past year or so, many new regulations, laws and rules have been passed which affect employee benefit plans. The following is a very brief overview of some items that should have been addressed prior to the end of the year. If you... More...

Increase of 6.7% predicted for 2006 Employers shift cost to plan members who use the most services, but also provide them with more support Fewer small employers offer coverage in 2005, despite availability of low-cost consumer-directed healt... More...

Many of you offer some type of severance benefits to your employees, perhaps on a one-time basis in exchange for a release of claims by someone you've fired, to a group of employees during a layoff, or through an employment agreement to attract key e... More...

Excerpted from Oklahoma Employment Law Letter, written by attorneys at the law firm Doerner, Saunders, Daniel & Anderson, LLP The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) was enacted by Congress to promote the interest... More...

Undoubtedly the vast majority of human resources professionals are aware of HIPAA's Privacy Rule. Large plans were expected to comply this spring, while the compliance deadline is fast approaching for mid-size and smaller plans (April 14, 2004). Howe... More...

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COBRA UPDATES and EXTENDED SUBSIDIES

How HR Views Healthcare Reform

Swine Flu: Preparing the Workplace for a Pandemic

The impact of the ARRA COBRA Subsidy on Domestic Partner and Same-Sex Spouse Benefits

Supreme Court Upholds the Primacy of ERISA Plan Documents over Divorcee’s Waiver of Pension Benefits

Bridging the COBRA Gap When Layoffs Loom

The Real Problems and Challenges for Health Reform: A Post-Election Perspective

Take Control of the Human Resource Paper Trail, by Laura Simcox, SPHR

President Bush Signs 2008 ADA Amendments Act Broadening Coverage of Americans With Disabilities Act

President Bush Signs 2008 ADA Amendments Act Broadening Coverage of Americans With Disabilities Act

In This Political Season, Health Care Reform is a Business Issue

Interference With Health Benefits

Use of Consumer-Driven Healthcare Plans is Growing

The Principal 10 Best Companies for Employee Financial Security 2006

Japan to Overhaul Premiums for Senior Healthcare

Standards for Measuring Health and Productivity Management Program Efficiency

Enterprise Risk Management Helps Avoid Non-Compliance Fines

New Mercer Program Helps Employers Manage Frozen Pension Plans

Let 'em Eat Aspirin

Year-End Benefit Plan Amendment

Health Benefit Cost Slows for a Third Year, Rising just 6.1% in 2005

Severance Pay may be subject to ERISA

Docking in the ERISA Safe Harbor

HR Management Now Includes HIPAA Responsibilities

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