By Berman and Co.
NHTSA Releases 2004 Traffic Safety Facts, Holiday Planner The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has released its 2004 Traffic Safety Facts Annual Report. We are currently reviewing the findings in this report to compare crash statistics to the traffic fact sheet released earlier this fall.
If you would like to review the full report, please view the following link: http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/nrd-30/NCSA/TSFAnn/TSF2004EE.pdf
In advance of the holiday season, NHTSA also recently released its Holiday Campaign Promotional Planner. This media kit provides posters, op/eds, public service announcements (PSAs) and other press-ready materials.
Although it will not launch its own campaign, the NHTSA is counting on numerous states and traffic safety groups to get their anti-alcohol message out--particularly "You Drink and Drive. You Lose." To view this holiday planner, please view the following link:
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With more neo-prohibitionist messages saturating the media, we urge you to promote the "Drink Responsibly. Drive Responsibly." message during the holidays. For more information on how to promote this important message, or to receive a copy of our radio PSA, please contact Whitney Dodd at (202) 463-7100.
Enzi Files Compromise Legislation for the "Small Business Health Fairness Act"
Recently, Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY), Chairman of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, introduced the "Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization and Affordability Act of 2005".
Enzi's plan represents a compromise in the debate over association health plans. It includes some of the provisions of the "Small Business Health Fairness Act," (S. 406) and cracks open the door for limited AHPs. Other sections of the bill address the question of state mandates.
The Enzi bill would allow an association to offer traditional health care plans (called "fully-funded" plans), but it would not allow them to offer the kind of health care plans that are available to large businesses (with over 100 employees).
The ultimate goal of AHP legislation is to place the small business community on the same footing as major corporations when it comes to negotiating health care plans. This bill takes one small step forward in that process.
The other language in the bill standardizes what has become a patchwork quilt of state insurance mandates. States have always been able to set different standards governing what is covered by a health plan offered in the state. For example, some states force insurance plans to cover things like homeopathic treatment or gastric bypass surgery. Other states limit their mandates.
The Enzi proposal would help create the framework for an association to offer one plan (including the most common mandates) that would be acceptable in all states.
The Enzi bill does not replace the SBHFA, which would offer a wider version of AHPs. However, S. 406 has met with significant opposition from the insurers. Enzi hopes to break the logjam with this proposal.
While this proposal seems to simplify current insurance requirements, standardizing mandates may be strongly opposed by state legislators and insurance commissioners. It is unclear whether this version of the legislation will be successful, but the business community views this as a positive development that could jump-start debate on this issue.
Senate Gas Investigation Stirs Up Attention on Credit Card Fees
In response to the 'unusually high' profits reported by the petroleum companies last quarter, the Senate conducted a hearing among industry executives to account for the high profits margin--particularly when gas prices had reached an all-time high and shortage scares were threatening the nation.
Although only the gas companies are under investigation, this issue has brought attention to the other industries that have reaped benefits from the recent fuel crunch. In particular, several groups have drawn attention to the credit card fees that the banks have collected on the high-priced gas transactions at the pump.
As this issue progresses, there may be an opportunity to draw widespread attention to the unregulated transaction fees administered by credit card companies and the pass-through costs that are paid by retailers.
Source: ABL Leader, January, 2006, published monthly by Continental Communications, 125 W. Granite St., Suite 102, Butte, MT 59701.