Benefits Think

I’m super busy covering sessions and meeting many of your fellow HR/benefits practitioners here in Las Vegas at the 2011 Society for Human Resource Management national conference, but I wanted to give you a brief update on some of the great things I’ve seen and heard here so far.

A few months ago, I compared the Obama administration to Oprah Winfrey when it seemed to be giving away waivers to escape annual benefit limits outlined in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in the same gleeful and brazen manner that Oprah used to bestow gifts and cars on her studio audience. …

I wholly agree that this case grew into a gigantic hydra, with way too many differing charges to be an effective (and apparently, a legal) class action, and that allowing it to go forward as is would have been a significant blow to employers. That said, the ruling still may be a blow to working women.

A recent survey conducted by OfficeTeam reveals that 55% of workers would accept a promotion that didn’t include a pay raise.

The Health and Human Services Department stopped accepting ERRP applications on May 6, and announced nearly half of the $5 billion earmarked for the program had been approved for payout to employers. However, Senators John Kerry, Debbie Stabenow, Richard Blumenthal and Ben Cardin recently introduced a new measure that would infuse another the $5 billion into ERRP.

In a new white paper, two researchers say DOL should allow defined contribution plans to make electronic delivery the default mechanism for conveying disclosure notices and information to plan participants. But wouldn't such a move further alienate low-income workers from plan participation?

Last week's survey results from McKinsey, which found 30% of employers plan to drop health benefits after PPACA-mandated exchanges open in 2014, may be the product of flawed methodology, according to news reports.

Although it can’t compare to one of my favorite YouTube sensations, I have to commend AARP for producing a YouTube video that aims to teach employees about 401(k) fees and their impact on retirement plan balances.

Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, preventive screening for ovarian cancer is not listed among the services that are required to be covered at no copay or coinsurance, despite the fact that 1 in 72 women will get ovarian cancer, compared to similar 1 in 69 for women age 40-49, who will get breast cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute. …

I am firmly on record as being highly in favor of doctors who make house calls, so I read a recent article from msnbc.com with interest about WhiteGlove House Call Health, a Texas-based company that connects primary-care practitioners with patients at home for as little as $35 per visit. However, some think that WhiteGlove and similar vendors may be doing a disservice to the health care system.