The monthly labor report released by the government this morning offers a bleak economic outlook, with the unemployment rate rising to its highest level since December 2010. The news is especially disappointing, trailing yesterday's stock-rallying report that suggested the labor market was picking up steam.

Health care reform

Ohio maneuvers to (pretend to) opt out. Health care reform opponents in Ohio filed signatures this week to add a ballot measure that would allow voters to decide whether to amend the state constitution to keep citizens from being required to purchase health insurance. As the Washington Post notes, the move is more of a political statement than anything else, given that the constitutionality of the law is already headed toward the Supreme Court.

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What was Sutton thinking? After last week's ruling in favor of PPACA by the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Judge Jeffrey Sutton, a 2003 Bush-appointee who voted in favor of the law, has come under scrutiny. A WSJ op-ed piece criticized the ruling as "idiosyncratic and flawed."

Don't bite the hand that feeds you. Politico's David Nather reports that the hospital and pharmaceutical industries along with other groups reputed to have helped get health reform passed through "backroom deals" with the Obama administration are now worried they'll become a casualty of ongoing deficit reduction negotiations.

Retirement

Who's your fiduciary? Momentum is building to expand the scope of "fiduciary" to include IRAs. BenefitsPro blogger Chris Carosa makes some interesting observations contrasting the SEC's Mary Shapiro and the DOL's Phyllis Brorzi and how each has approached the fiduciary standard. Also, check out the DOL's fiduciary page.

Annuities as retirement cure-all? According to a report released by the Government Accountability Office, delaying Social Security and buying an annuity may be the best way to ensure solvency in retirement. BenefitsPro's Heather Trese covers strategies for combining annuities with existing retirement plans. The Wall Street Journal reports that auto-enrollment suppresses 401(k) contributions, contradicting the original intentions of the 2006 law.

HR/Benefits

Wellness programs expand, along with waist lines. No wonder medical costs are ballooning – Just 15 years ago, no state had an obesity rate above 20 percent. Now, 49 states do. Employers are doing their part to help. Corporate wellness programs have steadily increased throughout the recession, and more employers now offer on-site medical clinics. BenefitsPro offers 10 key components of successful wellness programs.

Connecticut mandates paid sick leave. In what was widely viewed by BenefitsPro readers as an anti-business move, Connecticut became the first state requiring companies to give employees paid sick time.

Quick hits

The 10 top-rated 401(k) plans (U.S. News & World Report)

 

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