A free compliance assistance seminar focusing on laws that cover health benefits will take place August 2 and 3 in Des Moines at the Holiday Inn Downtown at Mercy Campus. The seminar is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) and the Iowa Insurance Division.

The seminar is part of the Labor Department's Health Benefits Education Campaign to help workers and employers, especially small businesses, understand their rights and obligations under various health benefit laws. There will be sessions covering the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and other federal benefits laws under Part 7 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. Information also will be presented on fiduciary responsibility, COBRA, Family and Medical Leave Act, health savings accounts and HIPAA privacy.

Seminar attendees will receive a copy of the booklet, Health Benefits Coverage Under Federal Law, and other informational material. The updated publication explains the health benefit laws administered by the Labor Department and adds a new tool -- a chart identifying all the notices group health plans are required to provide to participants and beneficiaries. A copy of the booklet is available at EBSA's Web site, or by calling the agency's toll-free number at 1.866.444.EBSA (3272).

Seminar panelists will include representatives from EBSA, the Labor Department's Employment Standards Administration, the Iowa Insurance Division, Internal Revenue Service, and Department of Health and Human Services.

Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis, with only limited spaces available. Interested parties should register early by e-mail at [email protected] or by fax to 202.219.8141. Visit EBSA's Web site at www.dol.gov/ebsa for agenda and registration information or call Nancy Marchetti at 202.693.8684. Additional information about private-sector health or retirement plans can be found at EBSA's Web site above.

What:
HIPAA (HIPPA) and Health Laws
Compliance Assistance Seminar

When:
August 2-3, 2006
8 a.m. – 3:45 p.m.

Where:
Holiday Inn Downtown at Mercy Campus
1050 6th Avenue
Des Moines, Iowa 50314