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A free monthly newsletter for plan sponsors and employee benefits 
professionals published by The Benefit Services Group, Inc.

Nondiscrimination and Wellness Programs in Health Coverage in the Group Market; Final Rules
On December 13, the U.S. Treasury Department, U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services jointly published final regulations regarding HIPAA nondiscrimination and wellness program implementation. The new regulations become effective for most plans on July 1, 2007. For more information, see this article. A copy of the regulations can be viewed here. BSG®’s Contracts, Compliance and Research Department will be working in cooperation with our legal consultant Michael Best & Friedrich LLP and other industry resources to keep our clients informed of changes to the regulations which could affect your benefit plans.
 

New Health Savings Account Legislation/Recent DOL Health Savings Account Guidance
EXCERPT: "While most of the HSA rules are effective today or in a few short weeks, guidance will be necessary to round out some of the provisions. However, given the simplicity of the increased contribution limits, employers should quickly communicate the new limits to participants so that participants can decide whether to increase their 2007 HSA contributions.  Full Article
December 20, 2006—Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP


PricewaterhouseCoopers Identifies Top Seven Health Industry Trends of '07
EXCERPT: "The survey identified significant differences between what the public and industry believe to be key issues, including:
-- Nine out of ten Americans (90 percent) believe that greed is a major reason that U.S. healthcare costs are rising, a greater number than those citing drug prices, care for the uninsured, business inefficiencies or malpractice costs.
-- Nearly one-quarter (24 percent) of Americans don't yet believe that having an electronic health record will improve the quality of healthcare, and four in ten consumers (42 percent) are unsure.
-- Only one in six (17 percent) agrees that a very important way to reduce the cost of healthcare in the United States is for consumers to share more of the cost, which is the strategy behind high-deductible health plans with Health Savings Accounts. More than half of those surveyed (51 percent) believe that better, more advanced medical technology and diagnostics is the answer."
Full Article; Survey Report
November 30, 2006—PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

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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.

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Copyright 2006 The Benefit Services Group, Inc. BSG® is a registered trademark of The Benefit Services Group, Inc.

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