Absent from the proposal is a plan for individual employee retirement accounts. The General Accounting Office has released a report critical of the Federal Trade Commission's management of the Funeral Rule, which is a consumer protection rule governing the funeral industry. Patients still can access care in skilled nursing facilities despite the new Medicare prospective payment system, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General said in a report issued Friday, October 15. This inspection report is based on a survey of nursing home administrators. They indicate that they are changing their admissions procedures by more carefully assessing patient conditions and the likely cost of their care, but believe that access to nursing home care is still available to Medicare beneficiaries in their respective areas.
Few administrators attribute any placement difficulties to the prospective payment system.
Their views are consistent with those of hospital discharge planners, as reported in a recently issued OIG report. The IRS and the Department of the Treasury are seeking public comments regarding potential issues arising under their jurisdiction about retirement plans known as cash balance pension plans, particularly with respect to conversions of other types of defined benefit pension plans into cash balance plans. Comments should be submitted on or before January 19, 2000. The IRS has issued proposed regulations that would modify the application of the rules governing the character of some distributions from charitable remainder trusts. The regulations are aimed at what the IRS says are abusive schemes involving highly appreciated assets.