http://www.hewittassociates.com/Hewitt Associates - Legislative Updates60http://www.hewittassociates.com/Intl/NA/en-US/KnowledgeCenter/LegislativeUpdates/LegislativeUpdatesDetail.aspx?cid=8258http://www.hewittassociates.com/Intl/NA/en-US/KnowledgeCenter/LegislativeUpdates/LegislativeUpdatesDetail.aspx?cid=8258The "Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010" (H.R. 4872) includes significant modifications to the Senate-passed "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act" (H.R. 3590). If the reconciliation bill passes the House, the Senate bill would be passed in the same process. The ...Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.hewittassociates.com/Intl/NA/en-US/KnowledgeCenter/LegislativeUpdates/LegislativeUpdatesDetail.aspx?cid=6541http://www.hewittassociates.com/Intl/NA/en-US/KnowledgeCenter/LegislativeUpdates/LegislativeUpdatesDetail.aspx?cid=6541 Last updated March 12, 2010 Update: President Obama signed into law on March 2, 2010 a bill that included a temporary extension of the COBRA premium subsidy program through March 31, 2010. Read Hewitt's summary for more information. On March 10, 2010, the Senate passed the American Worker, State ...Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.hewittassociates.com/Intl/NA/en-US/KnowledgeCenter/LegislativeUpdates/LegislativeUpdatesDetail.aspx?cid=8197http://www.hewittassociates.com/Intl/NA/en-US/KnowledgeCenter/LegislativeUpdates/LegislativeUpdatesDetail.aspx?cid=8197After more than a year of debate, the President said that "Congress owes the American people a final vote on health care reform." While not explicitly advocating use of the budget reconciliation process (which requires 51 Senate votes rather than 60), the President alluded to other landmark legislat ...Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.hewittassociates.com/Intl/NA/en-US/KnowledgeCenter/LegislativeUpdates/LegislativeUpdatesDetail.aspx?cid=6729http://www.hewittassociates.com/Intl/NA/en-US/KnowledgeCenter/LegislativeUpdates/LegislativeUpdatesDetail.aspx?cid=6729Our monthly updates summarize recent legislative activity in the Middle East and Africa regions, by country, for the following issues: labor environment, cost of employment, employment terms and conditions, retirement and social security, health care system, taxation of compensation and benefits, an ...Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.hewittassociates.com/Intl/NA/en-US/KnowledgeCenter/LegislativeUpdates/LegislativeUpdatesDetail.aspx?cid=8195http://www.hewittassociates.com/Intl/NA/en-US/KnowledgeCenter/LegislativeUpdates/LegislativeUpdatesDetail.aspx?cid=8195The "Temporary Extension Act of 2010" (H.R. 4691), which was passed by the Senate on March 2 and the House on February 25, continues the emergency unemployment compensation program through April 5, 2010. It also extends the 65% COBRA premium subsidy included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment ...Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.hewittassociates.com/Intl/NA/en-US/KnowledgeCenter/LegislativeUpdates/LegislativeUpdatesDetail.aspx?cid=3245http://www.hewittassociates.com/Intl/NA/en-US/KnowledgeCenter/LegislativeUpdates/LegislativeUpdatesDetail.aspx?cid=3245Our monthly updates summarize recent legislative activity throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, by country, for the following issues: labor environment, cost of employment, employment terms and conditions, retirement and social security, health care system, taxation of compensation and benefit ...Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.hewittassociates.com/Intl/NA/en-US/KnowledgeCenter/LegislativeUpdates/LegislativeUpdatesDetail.aspx?cid=3246http://www.hewittassociates.com/Intl/NA/en-US/KnowledgeCenter/LegislativeUpdates/LegislativeUpdatesDetail.aspx?cid=3246Our monthly updates summarize recent legislative activity in Europe, by country, for the following issues: labor environment, cost of employment, employment terms and conditions, retirement and social security, health care system, taxation of compensation and benefits, and issues for expatriate empl ...Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.hewittassociates.com/Intl/NA/en-US/KnowledgeCenter/LegislativeUpdates/LegislativeUpdatesDetail.aspx?cid=3247http://www.hewittassociates.com/Intl/NA/en-US/KnowledgeCenter/LegislativeUpdates/LegislativeUpdatesDetail.aspx?cid=3247Our monthly updates summarize recent legislative activity in the Asia-Pacific region, by country, for the following issues: labor environment, cost of employment, employment terms and conditions, retirement and social security, health care system, taxation of compensation and benefits, and issues fo ...Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.hewittassociates.com/Intl/NA/en-US/KnowledgeCenter/LegislativeUpdates/LegislativeUpdatesDetail.aspx?cid=8169http://www.hewittassociates.com/Intl/NA/en-US/KnowledgeCenter/LegislativeUpdates/LegislativeUpdatesDetail.aspx?cid=8169The two sides traded talking points and noted areas of broad agreement on the issue of health care reform. However, the session ended with no agreement between the two political parties on how to proceed to a bipartisan agreement on reforming the nation's health care system. The White House's agend ...Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.hewittassociates.com/Intl/NA/en-US/KnowledgeCenter/LegislativeUpdates/LegislativeUpdatesDetail.aspx?cid=8154http://www.hewittassociates.com/Intl/NA/en-US/KnowledgeCenter/LegislativeUpdates/LegislativeUpdatesDetail.aspx?cid=8154According to the White House, the President's proposal "incorporates the work the House and the Senate have done and adds additional ideas from Republican members of Congress." The proposal is based on the Senate-passed bill, the "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act" (H.R. 3590), and includes ...Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.hewittassociates.com/Intl/NA/en-US/KnowledgeCenter/LegislativeUpdates/LegislativeUpdatesDetail.aspx?cid=8160http://www.hewittassociates.com/Intl/NA/en-US/KnowledgeCenter/LegislativeUpdates/LegislativeUpdatesDetail.aspx?cid=8160 Action May Be Required Employers may wish to review their retirement plans in China in light of new guidance issued by China's State Administration of Taxation on the tax treatment of employer and employee contributions to Enterprise Annuities. In Japan, the government is expected to submit a bil ...Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.hewittassociates.com/Intl/NA/en-US/KnowledgeCenter/LegislativeUpdates/LegislativeUpdatesDetail.aspx?cid=2060http://www.hewittassociates.com/Intl/NA/en-US/KnowledgeCenter/LegislativeUpdates/LegislativeUpdatesDetail.aspx?cid=2060Our Global Retirement Update summarizes recent legislative developments and trends related to retirement and financial management and highlights recently passed and pending legislation that may require employers to take action to comply with new rules or review existing plans. It is published monthl ...Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.hewittassociates.com/Intl/NA/en-US/KnowledgeCenter/LegislativeUpdates/LegislativeUpdatesDetail.aspx?cid=8134http://www.hewittassociates.com/Intl/NA/en-US/KnowledgeCenter/LegislativeUpdates/LegislativeUpdatesDetail.aspx?cid=8134The Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (the "MHP Act," P.L. 110-343), enacted on October 3, 2008, expanded the mental health parity requirements that had been in place since 1996. The MHP Act generally prohibits group health plans that provide ment ...Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.hewittassociates.com/Intl/NA/en-US/KnowledgeCenter/LegislativeUpdates/LegislativeUpdatesDetail.aspx?cid=2697http://www.hewittassociates.com/Intl/NA/en-US/KnowledgeCenter/LegislativeUpdates/LegislativeUpdatesDetail.aspx?cid=2697 Action May Be Required Japan's Immigration Bureau has indicated that it will revise a recently introduced guideline that would require expatriates to show their health insurance card before their visa application would be processed or renewed. As of April 1, 2010, visas will not be denied to expa ...Fri, 12 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMThttp://www.hewittassociates.com/Intl/NA/en-US/KnowledgeCenter/LegislativeUpdates/LegislativeUpdatesDetail.aspx?cid=8091http://www.hewittassociates.com/Intl/NA/en-US/KnowledgeCenter/LegislativeUpdates/LegislativeUpdatesDetail.aspx?cid=8091According to the President, the FY 2011 budget takes steps to jump-start job creation, strengthen the economic security of middle-class families, and place the country on a path to fiscal sustainability — an assertion that Congressional Republicans have been quick to challenge. In an effort to reduc ...Tue, 02 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT