Welcome to the fourth 2009 edition of Global Health & Benefits Perspective. This publication contains articles of interest to multinational clients and prospects written by Mercer's thought leaders around the world.

We would like to hear from you if you have any comments or questions on Global Health & Benefits Perspective. Contact us at: glob...@mercer.com.

In this edition

Click on the headlines below to read the individual articles in this edition of the newsletter.

Findings from Mercer's employee choice (flex benefit) survey

Survey conducted in 47 countries to measure the benefit programs offered across the choice spectrum. This summary provides current information on health benefit programs and practices that vary considerably from one country to the next.

Beth Umland

Salary sacrifice in the UK 

Pension salary sacrifice may not only lead to a win-win for employers and employees, but may also serve as a stepping stone to the implementation of other flexible benefits.

Mike Pedel

Stephen Hempenstall

A new scenario for health insurance in Argentina

This article provides an overview of health care coverage in Argentina and explores the impact of Decree 1448/2008 on employees and employers and, on companies’ total health care costs, as well as courses of action companies can now take.

Laura Roldán

Phased retirement: A new solution for aging workforce in Europe?

This article examines a potential strategy that may help employers continue to attract and retain the skills and services of their maturing workforce by allowing these employees to “phase” into retirement.

Baris Tisli

Cost containment in Canada

This next article in our series on cost containment describes how cost management has now come back into vogue for employers in Canada, despite the benefits provided by country’s Medicare system.

Brian Lindenberg

Upcoming topics

We are planning for at least four editions of Global Health & Benefits Perspective in 2010. Topics covered will likely include the following: global benefits management, global health management, mobility, voluntary benefits and flex/employee choice. 

Easy access to articles - arranged by topic

We have arranged all our previous articles into key topics and regional areas to help you quickly find the subjects you are most interested in. You can access these articles directly from the Archives section.