June 13, 2001 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - A set of lawsuits,
accusing HMOs of fraudulently using financial incentives to
limit medical care, was partially dismissed by a federal
judge in Florida
US District Judge Federico Moreno tossed out claims by
plan members that insurance companies violated federal
civil racketeering laws and violated ERISA, but denied
Humana Inc.’s motion to dismiss racketeering claims in one
of the cases, saying the plaintiffs have established valid
complaints.
The judge’s order, which involves motions to drop seven
separate lawsuits against HMO operators Humana, Aetna Inc.,
Cigna Corp., and UnitedHealth Group Inc. among others,
allows plaintiffs to reargue parts of the lawsuits and file
amended suits by June 29.
June 12, 2001 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - European Union
ministers have reached agreement on new rules that will force
businesses across the 15-nation bloc to supply more
information to their employees about developments within the
company - including planned layoffs.
The agreement came after four contentious years of
negotiations during which Britain led a minority bloc of
nations concerned that the rules would hurt the
competitiveness of their businesses. Britain dropped its
objections after other nations agreed to phase in the new
rules more gradually for smaller companies.
The new rules will not take effect for three years, and
will then apply only to companies employing 150 or more
workers. It will take two more years to apply it to
companies with 100 to 150 workers, and will reach down to
those employing 50 to100 workers only after a seven-year
transition.
The measure was first proposed in 1998 after French
car-maker Renault announced the surprise closure of a plant
in Belgium, without first warning the work force though it
would have been required to do so in its native France,
according to Reuters.
The ministers also agreed on amendments to EU directives
on sexual equality in the workplace, including:
common rules to combat sexual harassment
urging governments to consider the rights of fathers
as well as mothers to take more time off work after the
birth of a child
They also adopted proposals to tighten controls on
potentially harmful noise in workplaces.
These agreements still require approval by the European
Parliament.