DOL Webinars on 2009 Form 5500 and COBRA Premium Reduction Extension Provisions

The Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) is hosting two upcoming webinars. On Thursday, January 21st at 1:00pm Eastern, staff members from EBSA and the Department of Labor (DOL) will provide plan sponsors with assistance in understanding the changes to the form and filing process. In addition, they will introduce users to the new EFAST2 electronic filing website. And, a representative from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will discuss filings that now will be submitted only to the IRS. The webinar can be access by clicking here.

At 1:00pm Eastern time on Friday, January 22nd, DOL and EBSA staffers will discuss the extension and provide assistance in complying with the new requirements, including the model notices and transition period. This webinar can be access by clicking here.

A Bipartisan Approach to Health Reform

Today, the Bipartisan Policy Center, along with the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform at the Brookings Institution, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, released a report outlining a bipartisan approach to health reform.

The report's blurb from the Brookings site:

"The bipartisan framework, "Crossing Our Lines: Working Together to Reform the U.S. Health Care System," released today by former U.S. Senate Majority Leaders and Bipartisan Policy Center's (BPC) Advisory Board members Howard Baker, Tom Daschle and Bob Dole, provides recommendations for comprehensive health reform to ensure that every American has affordable, quality health coverage. The report is a product of the BPC's Leaders' Project on the State of American Health Care, which was launched last year and is co-directed by health care policy experts Chris Jennings and Mark McClellan."

To access the report, click here.