Pension & Benefits Reporter Index-Summary

HAWAII

– State and local government plans, constitutional protection for health benefits (Haw.), 792

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT (HHS)

– Consumer information and oversight office launch, 1044
– High-risk pool chief, 1293
– Medicaid

See MEDICAID

– Medicare

See MEDICARE

HEALTH CARE

– COBRA

See COBRA

– Costs

See HEALTH CARE COSTS

– Health care literacy, recommendations for Labor Dep't, 1970
– Health insurance

See HEALTH INSURANCE

– HIPAA

See HEALTH INSURANCE PORTABILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT (HIPAA)

– Medical records privacy

See HEALTH INSURANCE PORTABILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT (HIPAA)

– Reform

See HEALTH CARE REFORM, FEDERAL

HEALTH CARE COSTS

– ACOs effect, 2392
– Anthem BC, premium hike at issue, 358; postponed, 413
– BCBS Ass'n on quality strategy, 2335
– Bipartisan recommendations, 2541
– Brookings Report, 2334
– Cal. health insurer financial records sought, 473
– Consumer-driven health plans, 2336
– Family plans, 2632
– Federal spending, fiscal reform panel, 2631
– Health care reform

– – Containment advice, 1971
– – Controls urged, 1038; effectiveness at issue, 1822
– – Deficit, effect of law, CBO reports, 1862
– – Discretionary spending, CBO report, 1145
– – Employers expectations, 623; employer costs, 989
– – Incremental increases projected, 1866
– – Optimizing employee benefit costs, BNA Insights, 1322
– – Spending increase predicted, 985

– Joint committees and health care, 2443
– Liability costs, 2029
– Lowering costs, firms urged to lead, 569
– Manatee County, Fla., cost reduction advice, 211
– Market concentration of providers, 410
– Mass. small group rate hikes, 362
– Medicare

– – Commission and health costs, 827
– – Drug discounts, 2590

– Model rule on spending pension revenues, 2332
– Non-union workers and fee for service plans, 2444
– Nontraditional plans, GAO reports, 1869
– Trends

– – Accelerated hike in 2010, 2540
– – Changes in benefit offerings, survey results, 256
– – Control of costs, employer survey, 569; MetLife study, 906
– – CPI, Dec. 2009, 203; Jan. 2010, 401; Feb., 608; Mar., 907; Apr., 1196; May, 1418; July, 1816; Aug., 2075; Oct., 2536; Nov., 2762
– – Drug price hikes, GAO report, 114; brand-names, AARP report, 1203; continued hikes, 1927
– – Employer coverage drop, 2692; cost cuts sought, 2693
– – Family health cost hike, 1153
– – FEHBP premium costs up, 2186
– – Generics savings, 1677
– – Healthier habits, employer incentives, 626
– – Hewitt forecast, 2181
– – Historic low for spending, 55; 2009 numbers, 316
– – Large firms expect cost hike, 470
– – Mass., significant variations, 317
– – Medical inflation and premiums, 1595
– – Mich. hospitals, 2636
– – Obstacles to business expansion, survey, 357
– – Out-of-pocket costs eroding group health plans, 518
– – Outlook 2010, 176
– – Outpacing inflation, 2392
– – Prediction for 2011, 1429; higher than inflation, 2233
– – Shifting costs to employees, 1970
– – Wages outstripped by benefit costs in 2009, 570
– – Working women, projected costs, 2690

– Value-based insurance, 2442
– W-2 reporting, 2278

HEALTH CARE REFORM, FEDERAL

– Abortion, ban on federal funding, 699
– ACOs pushed, 1594
– Agents called essential, 1928
– Confusion among public, survey, 986
– Employer-sponsored group health plans, BNA Insights, 721
– Erosion of employee benefits, 12; decline in coverage, 1102
– Goldman Sachs analysis, 826
– Grassley on IRS duties, 54
– Health insurance exchanges

– – Reform bill

See LEGISLATION, FEDERAL, HR 3962

– – Tax credits, CRS report, 1351

– High-end plans, effect of tax, 412
– Implementation

See PATIENT PROTECTION AND AFFORDABLE CARE ACT (PPACA)

– Low-income subsidies, 51
– Overhaul

See LEGISLATION, FEDERAL, HR 3590

– PPACA

See PATIENT PROTECTION AND AFFORDABLE CARE ACT (PPACA)

– Reaction, Analysis & Perspective, 806
– Reconciliation bill

See LEGISLATION, FEDERAL, HR 4872

– Repeal proposal, 1286
– Retailers concerns, 468
– Revised Democratic strategy, 261; GOP support sought, 409
– Rockefeller criticizes insurers, 919
– Sebelius pushes reform, 567
– Social insurance advocates advice for policy makers, 209
– White House

– – Action urged, 314; centrist principles, 314; meeting with Hill leaders, 356; plan to televise meeting, 357
– – Agreement with congressional Democrats close, 565
– – Completing reform, White House plans, 464
– – Health summit, no bipartisan agreement, 465
– – Premiums hikes predicted without reform, 564
– – Revised proposal with “Cadillac” plan tax, 409
– – Unearned income, tax proposal, 467

– Workload of IRS, House hearing, 624

HEALTH CARE REFORM, STATE

– California

– – CalPERS changes, 2547
– – S.F., employer insurance contribution mandate

– – – Challenge (U.S., brief filed), 1297; (brief filed), 1363; (rev den), 1539
– – – Preemption rejected (N.D. Cal.), 1835
– – – Spending by firms, 1558

– – Single-payer, Senate passage, 319

– Minn. Health Reform Initiative, Commonwealth Fund report, 923
– Rate regulation disclosure, 2494
– Utah health insurance exchanges, 627

HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY FOR ECONOMIC AND CLINICAL HEALTH ACT (HITECH)

– Breach reporting rules, 2493
– Noncompliance, 1212
– Privacy obligations, 1824

HEALTH INSURANCE

– Accounting requirements from FASB, 1976
– Allowable amount for out-of-network services, challenge to method (N.D. Ill.), 280
– Antitrust exemption, proposed repeal, 360; bill, see LEGISLATION, FEDERAL, HR 4626
– Autism therapy coverage (D. Or.), 66
– Bank of America SPD delay (N.D. Ill.), 2288
– BCBS

See BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD PLANS (BCBS)

– Beauty supply distributor handbook not enforceable contract (S.D. Ill.), 372
– CHIP

See CHILDREN'S HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM (CHIP)

– CIGNA plan documents, advocacy failure (W.D. Wis.), 2145
– Claims processing deficiencies, AMA report, 1428
– COBRA benefits

See COBRA

– College students and parents coverage, 991
– Collusion by insurers and brokers alleged (3rd Cir.), 1884
– “Customary and reasonable” charges at issue (5th Cir.), 1883
– Discretionary clauses, Tex. rules, 2685
– Dollar bank not run down (W.D. Wash.), 1314
– Exchanges

See HEALTH CARE REFORM, FEDERAL; PATIENT PROTECTION AND AFFORDABLE CARE ACT (PPACA)

– Experimental treatment claims denial (W.D. Wash.), 1004
– External health plan reviews, 2488
– “Facility fees” for surgeon denied (D.N.J.), 1888
– Failure to convert to individual plan (4th Cir.), 1437
– Financial information protection, 1870
– Greater value sought, new employer benefit strategies, report, 210
– In-network rates denied for hospital (S.D. Ohio), 2399
– Limited benefit plans, HHS guidance, 2025
– Limits on beneficiary designations, Labor Dep't brief (8th Cir.), 417; plan documents rule, 2238
– Loss ratios

– – Calculation form, 1596
– – NAIC draft, 2137
– – Reform

See PATIENT PROTECTION AND AFFORDABLE CARE ACT (PPACA)

– Medical inflation and insurance rates, 1867
– Nonparticipating provider, refusal to pay for all of care (5th Cir.), 1003
– Out-of-network surgical groups claims against insurer (E.D. Mo.), 528
– Plavix placement in highest tier (3rd Cir.), 1360
– Postpartum depression screening mandate

See State activity, this heading

– Preventative health programs, BNA Insights, 1327
– Prior approval of rates, 2628
– Recission of policy, not governed by ERISA (N.D. Cal.), 376
– Reform

See HEALTH CARE REFORM, FEDERAL; HEALTH CARE REFORM, STATE

– Retiree health plans

See RETIREE HEALTH INSURANCE

– State activity

– – Colo., gender and premiums, 840
– – Idaho external review, 15
– – Maine

– – – Autism coverage mandate, 992
– – – Lifetime caps ban signed, 839

– – Md. out-of-network provider law, 1209
– – Massachusetts

– – – Autism mandate, 1728
– – – Coverage statistics, 2772
– – – Employer coverage rate, 317
– – – Penalties for non-coverage, 2773
– – – Postpartum depression screening mandate, 1931
– – – Premiums for state health insurance program (Mass.), 1004

– – N.H. purchasing alliance licensing, 1635
– – Or. association health care plans, rule revisions, 362; approved, 474
– – Reform

See HEALTH CARE REFORM, STATE

– – Va. telemedicine coverage mandate, 573
– – Wash., fewer firms offer medical insurance, 839

– Taxable income, PLR from IRS, 910
– Trends

– – CFOs expect cuts, 1046
– – Employer coverage drop, 2692; cost cuts sought, 2693
– – Executive compensation for 2011, 1868
– – Most workers to keep employer coverage, 1287
– – Recession, effect on benefit choices, 837
– – Variations in worker coverage, 2184

– Value-based insurance, 2442
– Voluntary benefits, BNA Insights, 2466
– Website planned by HHS, 1108
– Wheeling Hosp. breach of contract suit (N.D. W.Va.), 2644

HEALTH INSURANCE PORTABILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT (HIPAA)

– Labor Dep't seminar, 1871
– Noncompliance, 1212
– Nondiscrimination, no jurisdiction (D. Mass.), 421
– Privacy

– – Breach notifications, HHS actions, 698
– – Business associates, HHS proposed rule, 1593; attorney warning, 1824

– Release of HHS rules planned, 2765
– Semiannual agenda from HHS, 991

HEALTH SAVINGS ACCOUNTS (HSAs)

– Ed. Note: HSAs were created by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act.
– Account limits unchanged, 1287
– Balances up in 2009, 1290
– Criticized, 2694
– Enrollment growth, 1208
– PPACA, CRS report, 2029
– Retiree health costs and HSAs, 828
– Wis., taxing contributions, 2694

HEDGE FUNDS

– Teamsters fiduciary breach claims (S.D.N.Y.), 2287
– Univ. of Montreal pension plan fraud claims (S.D.N.Y.), 429

HHS

See HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT (HHS)

HIGH-RISK POOLS

See PATIENT PROTECTION AND AFFORDABLE CARE ACT (PPACA)

HIPAA

See HEALTH INSURANCE PORTABILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT (HIPAA)

HITECH

See HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY FOR ECONOMIC AND CLINICAL HEALTH ACT (HITECH)

HSAs

See HEALTH SAVINGS ACCOUNTS (HSAs)

HUNGARY

– Tax treaty with U.S., 312

HYBRID PLANS

See also CASH BALANCE PLANS; DEFINED BENEFIT PLANS
– Caution for employers, 1134
– Final rules from IRS, 2306; practitioners comment, 2307; phone forum, 2424; tax counsel comments, 2530; anti-cutback relief, 2578; deadline extended, 2613; BNA Insights, 2661; conversion protection rules, 2679