US: Firms must spell out workers' benefit rights

[ProSense]

Source: Associated Press

WASHINGTON – Your company just denied your disability claim. What do you do now? How long do you have to file an appeal? And with whom?

The Obama administration is planning to upgrade consumer protections for tens of millions of workers and family members covered by health, disability and pension plans, ordering companies to clearly explain decisions on claims and how employees can dispute denials.

The basic idea is to require health and other plans to spell out what a worker needs to know to safeguard his rights.

"People need to have a clear roadmap to appeal claims," Phyllis Borzi, assistant secretary for employee benefits at the Labor Department, said in an interview.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100812/ap_on_bi_ge/us_employee_benefits_2

[w4rma]

1. Very good. (nt)

[SILVER__FOX52]

2. How about clear, concise.....of when you are actually.........

covered. They use word games to get you to buy this crap insurance, then when you need it, well, now that's a problem. It's crap and they know it. They are intentionally, vague. It should be illegal. In fact, if they, represented it properly, they couldn't sell this shit insurance at all. This is one of the biggest ripoffs, that exists.

[Downwinder]

3. Just remember they are all contractual obligations, and all Contracts are

renegotiable in bankruptcy.

[bemildred]

4. It needs to be simple, hiding things behind a blizzard of verbiage should be disallowed too. nt