Buck Bond Group

Sharing views and making news: November 1, 2016

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Over the past week, our consultants have provided insight into U.K. pensions, Canadian pension rules, mental health apps, and compensation. Coming up: our Prescription Drug Benefit survey is comping to a close, and we’re hosting a webinar on the impact of the U.S. presidential elections on benefits.

Wealth

flagUKPensions World, PLSA ANNUAL CONFERENCE Mersey beat

Marcus Hurd of Xerox HR services looked at pensions through his family history and concluded society was now much more based around individualism rather than paternalism.

flagCanadaBenefits Canada, What does OSFI’s updated guide on actuarial reporting mean for plan sponsors?

The update, published last week, includes a decrease in the maximum going-concern discount rate, from 6.25 per cent to six per cent. “That will directly impact any pension plans that are currently at the 6.25 rate,” says Tom Mudrinic, principal and consulting actuary in Xerox HR Services’ wealth practice. “They will have to figure out what impact moving to six will have on their costs.”

Health

flagUKCorporate Advisor, Mental health apps – silver bullet or nice-to-have?

Xerox HR Services senior consultant Chris Evans says these apps fall into two broad categories. “As well as interventions that can be used when someone is suffering a mental health problem, there’s a huge range designed to maintain good mental health,” he says. “These can make people more aware of their mental health so that they can take steps to avoid problems.”

flagUSPlansponsor, Sum of its Parts

Dave Ratcliffe, principal at Xerox HR Services in Washington, D.C., says evaluating the needs of different generations can help employers decide where to put their money.

Research

xer_medication_orangePrescription Drug Benefit Survey

The Pharmacy Benefit is typically the most utilized and visible health care benefit program an employer offers. It is also one of the most important — Member access and adherence to appropriate prescription drug therapy have a direct impact on medical and disability plan costs, as well as employee productivity. Poor drug adherence can lead to expensive inpatient medical plan costs, higher disability costs and higher absenteeism.

Participating in the Buck Prescription Drug Benefit Survey is a way to better understand your pharmacy benefit program and the options available to help you manage costs. In addition, by completing the survey, you will receive a complimentary copy of our report, summarizing and discussing the survey results. The report will help you understand your pharmacy plan features relative to other organizations. A printable PDF version of the questionnaire may be downloaded HERE .

Webinar

Presidential and Congressional Elections: What’s Next for Employee Benefits and Labor/Employment

800px-img_2259_-_washington_dc_-_us_capitolWednesday, November 16, 2016

12:30 – 1:30 p.m. ET | 11:30 – 12:30 p.m. CT | 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. PT

Following the November elections, party control will be key to determining both the congressional and regulatory agenda, as well as the changes the next president may make by executive action. In this session, we will consider both the short term and longer term outlooks after the new president and congress are sworn in during January 2017.

Join us for a discussion that will cover:

  • The potential outlook of the Affordable Care Act and other health and welfare issues
  • The evolving landscape for retirement savings, pension and multiemployer plans
  • The changing spheres of federal and state power and ERISA preemption
  • The upcoming Supreme Court – a bench of nine

Complete the form to register.

Speaker

allison-klausnerAllison Klausner, JD, Principal, Government Relations Leader, Xerox HR Services

Allison Klausner is the Government Relations Leader for our Knowledge Resource Center. Allison’s primary responsibility is to help clients and consultants understand important legislative and regulatory developments in the HR and employee benefits field.

 

 

 

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