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HHS Issues First Major Protections for Patient Privacy
EXCERPT: "HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today issued the first-ever comprehensive federal regulation that gives patients sweeping protections over the privacy of their medical records. The final regulation, which takes effect April 14, 2003, will ensure strong privacy protections without interfering with Americans' access to quality health care. ...HHS received more than 11,000 public comments on the proposed modifications issued in March 2002... The final version, which will be published in the Aug. 14th
Federal Register, includes some key revisions to address public concerns."
Full
Article...
8/9/02—U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Managed Care Backlash Ebbs as Consumer Confidence in Health Care Inches Up
EXCERPT: "Privately insured consumers' confidence in the health care system increased slightly between 1997 and 2001, signaling that people have noticed the easing of managed care restrictions, according to a national tracking study issued today by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC)."
Full Article...
8/7/02—Center for Studying Health System Change
Employer Interest in Personal Account Consumer-Driven Health Plans Expected to Increase
EXCERPT: "A growing number of employers are expected to embrace personal account plans as their latest weapon in their continuing battle to control rising health care costs. And, if designed properly, these plans can successfully reduce both short- and long-term costs, according to a newly published research report by Watson Wyatt Worldwide and the Washington Business Group on Health (WBGH) Institute on Health Care Costs and Solutions."
Full
Article...
8/5/02—Watson Wyatt Worldwide
Accounting Oversight and Corporate Responsibility Reform Also Amends ERISA
EXCERPT: "[T]his Alert ... focuses on the new rules that require advance notice of blackout periods for 401(k) and other defined contribution plans, bar insider trading during blackout periods, restrict loans to executives, and limit non-audit services by auditors."
Full
Article...
8/2/02—Aon Consulting, Alert
High Cost of Insurance Leading Some Healthy People To Opt Out of Employer-Sponsored Coverage
EXCERPT: "The rising cost of health insurance premiums is causing some healthy young professionals and families to opt out of employer-sponsored health insurance, especially plans offered by small businesses, which often are forced to "pass... along" to employees a share of rate increases, the Business Journal of Jacksonville reports."
Full
Article...
8/2/02—The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, kaisernetwork.org
Memorandum to Our Nation's CEOs and Business Leaders From The Midwest Business Group on Health
EXCERPT: "For American businesses, health care costs are reaching a crisis stage—a crisis driven in large part by serious deficiencies in the quality of care provided by our health care system. But the employers that bear these costs have the means to take the lead in addressing this problem."
Full Article...
Summer 2002—Midwest Business Group on Health
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Smoke-free Employees
Smoking Costs Nation $150 Billion Each Year in Health Costs, Lost Productivity
EXCERPT: "Each pack of cigarettes sold in the United States costs the nation an estimated $7.18 in medical care costs and lost productivity, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report.
In a study of deaths related to smoking, years of life lost, and economic costs, CDC found that smoking continues to be the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, resulting in an estimated 440,000 premature deaths annually from 1995 through 1999. On average, adult men and women smokers lost 13.2 and 14.5 years of life, respectively, because they smoked.
Economic costs during the same period were $81.9 billion in productivity losses from deaths (average for 1995-1999) and $75.5 billion in excess medical expenditures in 1998, for a total of more than $150 billion, according to the report. The reported medical and productivity losses were larger than previous estimates of $53 billion and $43 billion, respectively."
Full
Article...
4/12/02—Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Online Smoking Cessation
Of the growing number of online resources for smoking cessation, QuitNet
is one of the best. Launched in 1995, QuitNet operates in association with Boston University and was named one of the Web's top ten health sites by Healthcare Online for Dummies.
Users can access quitting guides, self-assessment tools and enjoy unlimited participation in QuitNet's support community with free registration. Or for a modest fee, users can receive a personal quitting plan, advice from expert counselors, support for quitting aids like the patch, special email support, discounts on products and services, tailored resources, and, of course, complete access to QuitNet's support community.
Find out more about the organization behind QuitNet
including their full range of customized tobacco cessation services for public agencies, health plans, professional associations and employers.
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By providing links to other
sites, The Benefit Services Group, Inc. does not guarantee, approve or
endorse the information or products available at these sites, nor does a
link indicate any association with or endorsement by the linked site to
The Benefit Services Group, Inc.
The preceding is not
intended to be and is not offered as legal advice. We are prohibited
from the practice of law. Compliance is the responsibility of the
employer or Plan sponsor and affected employees, who should seek their
own legal counsel regarding questions about information presented in
this newsletter.
PlanAhead Direct is a
monthly newsletter provided free of charge to select BSG® client
representatives and associates. View and search back issues at www.bsg.com/news/index.htm.
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Copyright 2002 The Benefit Services
Group, Inc. BSG® is a registered trademark of The Benefit Services
Group, Inc.
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