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112 records returned

Benefits literacy, Bugs Bunny and bridge.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This article provides employers with things to keep in mind in order to deliver content that improves employees' benefits literacy, and makes taking desired actions both relevant and easy for employees. PMID: 19891334 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Benefits Quarterly)
Source: Benefits Quarterly - November 7, 2009 Category: American Health Authors: Moses J, Hogg B Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

Discrimination-pregnancy leave-Pregnancy Discrimination Act not retroactive-bona fide seniority system. AT&T Corp. v. Hulteen, 2009 U.S. LEXIS 3470 (U.S. 5/18/2009).Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Discrimination-pregnancy leave-Pregnancy Discrimination Act not retroactive-bona fide seniority system. AT&T Corp. v. Hulteen, 2009 U.S. LEXIS 3470 (U.S. 5/18/2009). Benefits Q. 2009;25(3):54-6 Authors: A pension plan whose terms are those of a bona fide seniority system and which treats pregnancy leave, taken before the addition of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) to Title VII, differently than other kinds of medical leave, does not amount to sex and pregnancy discrimination under Title VII because PDA does not apply retroactively. PMID: 19891335 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Benefits Quarterly)
Source: Benefits Quarterly - November 7, 2009 Category: American Health Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

Standard of review-effect of conflict on standard of review. Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. v. Glenn, _S. Ct._, 2008 WL 2444796 (6/19/08).Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Authors: An ERISA plan administrator, whether it is an insurance company or a self-insured employer, has a conflict of interest if it both decides who receives benefits and makes benefits payments. That conflict of interest is one factor that should be taken into account in determining whether the administrator has abused its discretion in a case. PMID: 19408445 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] (Source: Benefits Quarterly)
Source: Benefits Quarterly - June 27, 2009 Category: American Health Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

Effect of delegation on standard of review. Geddes v. United Staffing, 469 F.3d 919 (10th Cir. 2006).Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Authors: When an ERISA plan administrator delegates his discretionary authority to render plan benefit decisions to a third party, even one that is not a fiduciary, de novo review is not triggered when litigation arises. Rather, the standard for review is the "arbitrary and capricious"standard as set by the US. Supreme Court's 1989 decision in Firestone Tire and Rubber Co. v. Bruch. PMID: 19408446 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] (Source: Benefits Quarterly)
Source: Benefits Quarterly - June 27, 2009 Category: American Health Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

Retiree health benefits--no emotional distress damages. Yolton v. El Paso Tennessee Pipeline Co., 2008 WL 275685 (E.D.Mich. 1/31/08).Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Authors: Plaintiffs are not entitled to emotional distress damages under the Labor-Management Relations Act (LMRA) when an employer breaches a collective bargaining agreement by failing to provide retiree health benefits. Plaintiffs may recover damages for the cost of replacement insurance incurred as a result of such a breach. PMID: 19408447 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] (Source: Benefits Quarterly)
Source: Benefits Quarterly - June 27, 2009 Category: American Health Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

Local health care initiatives--ERISA preemption of State Health Care Reform-Health Insurance-Fair Share Act. Golden Gate Restaurant Association v. City and County of San Francisco, 512 F.3d 1112 (9th Cir. 2008).Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Authors: A state or local ordinance is not preempted by ERISA if it does not bind plan administrators to structure plans in a certain way or mandate that they provide specific benefits to employees. A local law could be preempted if it contains specific provisions relating to ERISA, or the operation of the law itself depends upon ERISA. PMID: 19408448 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] (Source: Benefits Quarterly)
Source: Benefits Quarterly - June 27, 2009 Category: American Health Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

Prescription drug benefit design: the building blocks and their impact on cost.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This article describes how the pharmacy benefit building blocks of delivery (dispensing), provider contracting, drug products and benefit design all have to work together to produce a more effective pharmacy benefit program. PMID: 19048742 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Benefits Quarterly)
Source: Benefits Quarterly - December 7, 2008 Category: American Health Authors: Kopenski F Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

Assessing the First DataBank settlement: dramatic shake-up or status quo?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
First DataBank (FDB) is the prescription drug industry's largest publisher of average wholesale price (AWP) data, which is used to derive drug prices at the consumer end of the U.S. drug distribution system. In 2006, FDB agreed to a tentative legal settlement after allegations it engaged in questionable activities that cost millions of consumers and third-party payers an extra $7 billion between August 2001 and March 2005. The potential impact of the proposed settlement is projected to be far-reaching; however, settlement details still require final approval by the court. PMID: 19048743 [PubMed - in process] (Sourc...
Source: Benefits Quarterly - December 7, 2008 Category: American Health Authors: Golden J Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

Ouch! My employees' drug therapy costs how much?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In the United States today, most citizens receive their health care through programs sponsored and financed by their employers rather than through primarily government-based funding. With this in mind, 85% of U.S. employer survey respondents indicated their health care programs are an investment in their employees from which they expect a return. With the many new pharmaceutical therapies that have been developed and marketed in this country that treat small populations suffering from rare or previously untreatable diseases such as multiple sclerosis, inflammatory diseases and treatments for various types of cancer, em...
Source: Benefits Quarterly - December 7, 2008 Category: American Health Authors: Jacobs MS Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

An ounce of prevention: the potential for value-based pharmacy benefits in cost containment.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This article presents employer experiences, identifies important issues for those considering value-based pharmacy benefits and suggests ways to overcome barriers to implementation. PMID: 19048745 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Benefits Quarterly)
Source: Benefits Quarterly - December 7, 2008 Category: American Health Authors: Malley JJ Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

The drug cost gap and the diagnosis-prescription connection.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This article reports results from a 2007 national employer survey on pharmacy benefits and describes how the Dx-Rx innovation can keep patients and their doctors on track when it comes to controlling disease and driving down overall medical costs. PMID: 19048746 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Benefits Quarterly)
Source: Benefits Quarterly - December 7, 2008 Category: American Health Authors: Dross D Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

The fine print on HSAs.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This article provides ten points human resource (HR) and benefit professionals should know when considering whether to add an HSA plan. In this collective learning curve, the more accurately employers address questions, the happier their employees will be with their new plans. PMID: 19048747 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Benefits Quarterly)
Source: Benefits Quarterly - December 7, 2008 Category: American Health Authors: Coyle D Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

Living with GASB 45: how to manage liabilities associated with retiree medical benefits.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This article describes the many ways to reduce those liabilities without eliminating retiree medical plan benefits altogether. Now is the time for employees and employers to work together and make difficult choices for keeping retiree medical costs and GASB 45 liabilities manageable. PMID: 18543832 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] (Source: Benefits Quarterly)
Source: Benefits Quarterly - July 7, 2008 Category: American Health Authors: Thoen F, Wade D Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

More preventive care, and fewer emergency room visits and prescription drugs--health care utilization in a consumer-driven health plan.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This article presents what the authors believe to be the first study to analyze a large sample of claims data and to look in detail at different types of utilization among enrollees in a CDHP and those in a traditional comprehensive major medical (CMM) plan. After adjusting for the finding that CDHP enrollees are both younger and healthier than those in CMM plans, the authors found that CDHP enrollees show no consistent or significant utilization differences for measures over which consumers have little control (e.g., inpatient stays); lower utilization for measures over which consumers have greater control (e.g., emergenc...
Source: Benefits Quarterly - July 7, 2008 Category: American Health Authors: Wilson AR, Bargman EP, Pederson D, Wilson A, Garrett NA, Plocher DW, Ailiff PL Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

A truly healthy bottom line: improving financial results through effective health and productivity programs.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This article defines program effectiveness and describes the specific activities of employers that have implemented successful H&P strategies leading to improved health, increased productivity and lower benefit costs-and, in turn, higher levels of performance, returns to shareholders and market premium. PMID: 18590178 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Benefits Quarterly)
Source: Benefits Quarterly - July 7, 2008 Category: American Health Authors: Wolff S Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

Health incentives: the science and art of motivating healthy behaviors.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This article provides an overview of the key considerations for employers seeking to maximize the value of incentive rewards. Discussion includes incentive strategies, types of rewards, reward amounts and regulatory considerations under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). PMID: 18590179 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Benefits Quarterly)
Source: Benefits Quarterly - July 7, 2008 Category: American Health Authors: Hall B Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

The new frontier of wellness.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Businesses should focus on a proactive solution to rising health care costs, using integrated wellness programs that emphasize condition management and total health and well-being. If corporations wish to remain competitive, profitable and successful in attracting and retaining topnotch talent from all generations, they are going to have to start investing in and thinking creatively about wellness offerings. Not only do wellness programs have a proven track record of success in reducing health care costs, they also resonate loud and clear with modern-day employees who are determined to work for a company that understan...
Source: Benefits Quarterly - July 7, 2008 Category: American Health Authors: Clark AD Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

Consumerism and wellness: rising tide, falling cost.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This article describes the sharp rise in recent years of consumer-directed health plans (CDHPs) and explains what developments must happen for genuine consumer-directed health care to realize its full potential. These developments include gathering transparent health care information, increasing consumer demand for that information and creating truly intuitive data solutions that allow consumers to easily access information in order to make better health care decisions. PMID: 18590181 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Benefits Quarterly)
Source: Benefits Quarterly - July 7, 2008 Category: American Health Authors: Domaszewicz A Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

Taking stock of wellness.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This article describes the many ways different employers do wellness, the evidence base for wellness, how employers should target wellness candidates, and the elements of success and failure for wellness initiatives. PMID: 18590182 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Benefits Quarterly)
Source: Benefits Quarterly - July 7, 2008 Category: American Health Authors: Fitch K, Pyenson B Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

Value-driven health care--pipe dream, placebo or prescription for excellence?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This article describes the four cornerstones of the EO and explains how they will translate into corporate action and value. PMID: 18590183 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Benefits Quarterly)
Source: Benefits Quarterly - July 7, 2008 Category: American Health Authors: Pudlowski E Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

Medicare retiree drug subsidy compliance considerations.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This article discusses areas that employers must address now to avoid significant long-term financial and compliance problems in the future. PMID: 17444082 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] (Source: Benefits Quarterly)
Source: Benefits Quarterly - January 1, 2007 Category: American Health Authors: Pudlowski E Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

Federal jurisdiction--reimbursement action by federal employee health plan administrator. Empire HealthChoice Assurance, Inc., d/b/a Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield v. McVeigh.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Authors: The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, ruled that federal courts lack jurisdiction over a suit brought by a federal employee health plan administrator seeking reimbursement of benefits covered by a personal injury settlement. PMID: 17444083 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] (Source: Benefits Quarterly)
Source: Benefits Quarterly - January 1, 2007 Category: American Health Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

Federal employees--random drug and alcohol testing--subject matter jurisdiction--issue preclusion--exhaustion. Whitman v. Department of Transportation.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Authors: The Supreme Court, in a per curium decision, vacated a ruling against an air traffic controller in his claim that he was subjected to more than random drug testing and remanded the matter to the Ninth Circuit to determine whether the petitioner exhausted his administrative remedies and whether exhaustion is required, or, if necessary, whether the Civil Service Reform Act precludes employees from pursuing claims beyond those set out in that act, i.e., whether Congress intended to remove such actions from the general grant of subject matter jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. paragraph 1331. PMID: 17444084 [PubMed...
Source: Benefits Quarterly - January 1, 2007 Category: American Health Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

Employee responsibility in benefit change.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This article describes how employers can help workers understand changes and, through effective change management and communication, successfully navigate in an evolving benefits world. Using recent survey research about large employer and employee attitudes, the authors demonstrate tangible proof that these efforts pay off, both in financial and cultural terms. PMID: 17621957 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] (Source: Benefits Quarterly)
Source: Benefits Quarterly - January 1, 2007 Category: American Health Authors: Hart D, Arian M Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

What keeps human resource professionals awake at night?Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The topic of employees taking responsibility for their own benefits planning can be exasperating to human resource professionals and employers. But make no mistake: The topic is a vital one for employees and employers alike. Based on the experiences of financial counselors who provide independent financial counseling to more than two million employees of large organizations, this article presents the top ten mistakes employees make and suggests how human resource professionals can help employees avoid those mistakes. PMID: 17621958 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] (Source: Benefits Quarterly)
Source: Benefits Quarterly - January 1, 2007 Category: American Health Authors: Wiley P Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

Personal responsibility in health benefits: looking backward, looking forward.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Consumerism and care management continue to make inroads as cost-containment strategies for employers, as well as for employees who have endured the steady rise in benefit cost-shifting. The latest statistics and trends point the way to a new era of personal responsibility in health benefits. The author describes how this trend has grown, and where it is leading. PMID: 17621959 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] (Source: Benefits Quarterly)
Source: Benefits Quarterly - January 1, 2007 Category: American Health Authors: Domaszewicz A Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

Building a culture of personal benefits responsibility.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This article reviews the evolution of benefit plans and what has arisen as the current state of employee benefits. It then discusses steps employers can take to build a successful total benefit strategy that recognizes the importance of the emerging workforce's racial, ethnic and cultural diversity. PMID: 17621960 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] (Source: Benefits Quarterly)
Source: Benefits Quarterly - January 1, 2007 Category: American Health Authors: Hiles A, Hogg B, Tapia A, Winkler J Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

Communicating the new benefits deal.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This article discusses the experience of four organizations that implemented the "new deal" of increased employee responsibility while also balancing employee needs. PMID: 17621961 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] (Source: Benefits Quarterly)
Source: Benefits Quarterly - January 1, 2007 Category: American Health Authors: Patten L Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

Long-term disability benefits--reliance on independent physician's review--interest on wrongfully denied benefits. Calvert v. Firstar Finance, Inc. et al.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Authors: PMID: 17621962 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] (Source: Benefits Quarterly)
Source: Benefits Quarterly - January 1, 2007 Category: American Health Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

Single-payer health care systems: the roles and responsibilities of the public and private sectors.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This article provides context for the U.S. health care financing debate by examining the health care systems of five other countries: Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, China and India. The authors show that, with few exceptions, countries around the world have seen an increase in both government and private health care spending between 1998 and 2002. The authors also demonstrate that employers throughout most of the world are becoming more, rather than less, involved in the funding and delivery of health care to employees and their dependents-even among nations with so-called single-payer health systems. PMID: 178...
Source: Benefits Quarterly - January 1, 2007 Category: American Health Authors: Munn JD, Wozniak L Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

Confronting the fear factor: the coverage/access disparity in universal health care.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Since their introduction following World War II, single-payer health care systems and universally mandated health care systems have stumbled, but in their pratfalls are many lessons that apply to the universal health care proposals currently on the table in the United States. The critical and often-over-looked point is that universal coverage does not guarantee that individuals will receive needed care--In many cases guaranteed access to care is a false promise or available only on a delayed timetable. A more feasible alternative lies in providing a safety net for citizens who truly need care and financial support with...
Source: Benefits Quarterly - January 1, 2007 Category: American Health Authors: Litow ME Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

How universal health care would influence decisions about work and retirement.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The current U.S. health care system distorts individual decisions about work and retirement. After a brief explanation of how the current health care system works, this article reviews those distortions and considers how individuals would respond to the implementation of a universal health care system. The author argues that the likely adverse impacts of an employer health insurance mandate on low-skilled workers could be more than offset by a well-designed system of government subsidies. PMID: 17886731 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] (Source: Benefits Quarterly)
Source: Benefits Quarterly - January 1, 2007 Category: American Health Authors: Forman JB Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

Health care reform: universal access is feasible and necessary.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
While other industrial nations' health care systems have their own problems, they have more leeway to address those problems than does the United States, which spends twice as much on per capita health care as the average for other industrial capitalist democracies yet ranks average or below average in many comparative measures of health care quality. In fact, the authors of this article argue that international experience shows that assurance of universal access through expanded government involvement could provide savings while actually improving the quality of U.S. health care. In addition, universal access would re...
Source: Benefits Quarterly - January 1, 2007 Category: American Health Authors: Kingson ER, Cornman JM Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

Employee contributions: a primer on their use, historical trends and overall fit within benefits strategy.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This article focuses on the use of employee contributions as a strategic tool within employee health plans. While most employers require some form of employee contributions for health care, there is no clear "one-size-fits-all" solution. A myriad of strategies are in place, some active and some passive. This article reviews both common and emerging strategies and how they differ based on industry, employer size and region; discusses how employee contribution strategy fits within overall benefits strategy; and provides a strategic framework for approaching employee contributions in the future. PMID: 17886733 [PubMed - i...
Source: Benefits Quarterly - January 1, 2007 Category: American Health Authors: Peters HA Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

Health insurance--late enrollment--new baby. Lindstrom v. W.J. Bauman Assoc., Ltd.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Authors: PMID: 17886734 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] (Source: Benefits Quarterly)
Source: Benefits Quarterly - January 1, 2007 Category: American Health Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

Long-term disability benefits--offset--reduction of benefits by amount of Social Security benefits received by children. Hampton v Dana Corporation.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Authors: PMID: 17886735 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] (Source: Benefits Quarterly)
Source: Benefits Quarterly - January 1, 2007 Category: American Health Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

Aged-care support in Japan: perspectives and challenges.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This article explores economic aspects of the market for long-term care (LTC) in Japan. As the world's most rapidly aging nation, it is of interest to understand that country's current LTC system and projections of LTC utilization patterns and costs, as well as their potential drivers. Since Japan appears likely to experience important shortfalls in LTC in the future, the authors also discuss alternate forms of provision. PMID: 16792387 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] (Source: Benefits Quarterly)
Source: Benefits Quarterly - January 1, 2006 Category: American Health Authors: Mitchell OS, Piggott J, Shimizutani S Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

Culture, infrastructure and international health benefits delivery.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This article examines some scenarios and cultural anomalies that invalidate commonly accepted domestic health insurance practices. It explores strategies for simplifying benefit design, providing access to quality care abroad, assessing costs, minimizing overseas risks and understanding the cultural impact on health care delivery. PMID: 16792388 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] (Source: Benefits Quarterly)
Source: Benefits Quarterly - January 1, 2006 Category: American Health Authors: Koski A Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

The employer's case for health management.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Employers' past solutions to rising health benefit costs--adopting managed care strategies, cost shifting to employees and reducing benefits-are no longer effectively controlling costs and are depressing the value of health benefits for employee recruitment and retention. An alternative strategy is to implement health management approaches that improve the health status of employees. These programs reduce medical costs and have a documented positive impact on workers' compensation, disability costs, absenteeism and productivity. Further, this approach is complementary to health care consumerism as a strategy for health...
Source: Benefits Quarterly - January 1, 2006 Category: American Health Authors: Coulter CH Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

Manufacturing firms' decisions regarding retiree health insurance.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The trend for employers to discontinue offering retiree health insurance has profound implications for a large and growing share of the U.S. older population. The authors explore factors related to the firm's decision to offer and contribute to retiree health insurance using data from manufacturing firms. Their findings indicate that while firm characteristics, such as size and age, affect the probability that a firm offers retiree health insurance, employer contributions to this benefit are significantly related to the firm's financial performance and the alternative insurance options available in the market. The arti...
Source: Benefits Quarterly - January 1, 2006 Category: American Health Authors: Born PH, Zawacki AM Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

Employers' liability risk for managed care injuries.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Concerns about employer liability are a major public policy barrier to expanding tort liability for managed health care organizations. To evaluate the extent of these legal concerns, interviews were conducted with key informants, selected to represent a range of legal and demographic characteristics nationwide. These subjects reported a low level of existing concern about liability arising from managed health care, and few indicated that an increase in this threat would likely cause them to drop health benefits. Instead, most said employers would take a wait-and-see approach to theoretical liability threats and would c...
Source: Benefits Quarterly - January 1, 2006 Category: American Health Authors: Hall MA Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

HMOs--copayments. Lefler v. United Healthcare of Utah, Inc.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Authors: PMID: 16792392 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] (Source: Benefits Quarterly)
Source: Benefits Quarterly - January 1, 2006 Category: American Health Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

Benefits, consumerism and an "ownership society".Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This article reviews the changing health and retirement plan landscape, and describes the plans, products and features available to the baby boom generation. It then describes how employers can become educators in order to help boomers best manage their increased responsibility for their health care and retirement. PMID: 16827539 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] (Source: Benefits Quarterly)
Source: Benefits Quarterly - January 1, 2006 Category: American Health Authors: Olson DL, Wiley P Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

Consumer-driven health care: lessons from the first five years.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Lessons learned from the past five years' growth of the consumer-driven health movement bodes well for its longevity in the marketplace. The authors of this article review the results achieved by early adopters of consumer-driven health initiatives and the success strategies they've used in the areas of plan design, pricing, integration with wellness initiatives, communication and vendor selection. They conclude with a case example of how a transportation service company experienced substantial consumer-driven health plan enrollment and achieved a significant number of the key predictive success steps along the way. ...
Source: Benefits Quarterly - January 1, 2006 Category: American Health Authors: Sharon CW, Donahue T Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

Employer-driven consumerism: integrating health into the business model.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Consumer-driven health care is a misnomer. Notwithstanding the enormous role the individual consumer has to play in reshaping the U.S. health care delivery system, this article will focus on the employer as the key driver of change and innovation in the consumerism revolution. American Standard provides a case study of how one major employer has evaluated health care in the context of its business and aggressively integrated consumerism and health into the core of its business. Other companies will appropriately execute consumerism strategies in a fashion consistent with their own needs, culture, resources and populati...
Source: Benefits Quarterly - January 1, 2006 Category: American Health Authors: Thompson M, Checkley J Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

Information access: will make or break consumer-driven health plans.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This article describes why consumer-based strategies have taken hold and how consumer-driven plan design and financial incentives are of only limited value in controlling costs. After reviewing the importance and availability of existing health care information, the authors suggest actions employers can take to ensure consumer-driven plans reach their potential. PMID: 16827542 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] (Source: Benefits Quarterly)
Source: Benefits Quarterly - January 1, 2006 Category: American Health Authors: Kelley B, Attridge M Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

Account-based plans curb costs and engage employees.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This article describes how account-based approaches work and can be used to motivate employees to invest in their health today and salt away funds for tomorrow. The author describes what employers can do to ensure that consumer-driven health plans and account-based approaches help employees accomplish their goals. PMID: 16827543 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] (Source: Benefits Quarterly)
Source: Benefits Quarterly - January 1, 2006 Category: American Health Authors: Osterndorf D Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

Consumerism's sea change: how it will affect your company in the coming years.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This article reviews the growth of these strategies and the different ways employers have implemented them. The author then delineates the ten key ways that consumerism may affect companies over the next five- to ten-year time period, as these strategies continue to move health benefits toward greater transparency, flexibility and accountability. PMID: 16827544 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] (Source: Benefits Quarterly)
Source: Benefits Quarterly - January 1, 2006 Category: American Health Authors: Domaszewicz A Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

Health plans--e-mail benefits denial--exhaustion of administrative remedies. Maniscalco v. TAC Americas Comprehensive Healthcare Plan.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Authors: PMID: 16827545 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] (Source: Benefits Quarterly)
Source: Benefits Quarterly - January 1, 2006 Category: American Health Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals

Alternatives to traditional Medicare: Medicare Part C poised to prosper.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This article addresses those concerns. It provides a historical overview of Medicare Part C and describes the impact of the most recent agency guidance. The author cites plan trends, raises employer implications and concludes that Medicare Advantage plans will continue to expand, possibly facilitated by employers as they implement leading-edge retiree medical designs. PMID: 17039817 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] (Source: Benefits Quarterly)
Source: Benefits Quarterly - January 1, 2006 Category: American Health Authors: Morfe M Tags: Benefits Q Source Type: journals