How to Evaluate & Manage Employee Health Plans

Kathy Carlson

Managing your organization's health care plan is a process far too complex and critical to cover fully in a monthly newsletter. That's why we created HR Executive Special Reports.

Law Letter subscribers download FREE

About the Report
Today's employers and employees are wrestling with ever-increasing health care costs along with a new generation of employee benefits. This report offers updates on the latest in benefits, including consumer-driven health care. It also covers laws and regulations governing health coverage, programs to help your employees become healthier, and practical ways to contain the cost of health benefits.

We'll give you an overview of the current environment in employee health benefits, along with a broad background with which to evaluate new developments. With an understanding of basic concepts and rules, you’ll know how and when to work with counsel to meet the requirements of numerous laws, and help ensure that your plan works well both for your company and your employees. We'll also cover:

• Federal benefits laws and other regulations
• How your company's plan stacks up against the competition
• An overview of the types of health plans, including traditional indemnity or fee-for-service, managed care, and the increasingly popular consumer-driven plans
• How to craft your healthcare plan and pay for the coverage you choose
• How to administer the plan and how to handle benefits when participants' lives change
• Where HIPAA rules and security requirements apply

Table of Contents:

1. SCANNING THE LEGAL LANDSCAPE
Federal Benefits Laws
Other Laws and Regulations

2. KNOWING YOUR COMPANY AND YOUR EMPLOYEES
Your Company and Industry
How Do Your Benefits Stack Up?
Your Company’s Benefits Spending

3. TYPES OF HEALTH PLANS
Traditional Indemnity or Fee-for-Service Plans
Managed-Care Plans
The New Wave: Consumer-Driven Plans

4. CRAFTING YOUR HEALTH PLAN
Deciding Which Benefits to Cover
Getting a Handle on Quality
How to Pay for the Coverage You Choose
Contract Issues

5. REQUIRED DISCLOSURES AND REPORTS
The SPD
Other Required Reports

6. ADMINISTERING THE PLAN
Types of Claims
Plan Participants’Appeal Rights
Handling Benefits When Participants’ Lives Change

7. HANDLING EMPLOYEE HEALTH PLAN INFORMATION
HIPAA’s Privacy Rules
HIPAA Security Requirements

And there's so much more. Order your in-depth report today and use it as a road map to provide quality health benefits for your employees — without violating the law or going broke in the process.